Can't Hide from the Past
by BluBerserker
Summary: After her mother remarries, Yuzu becomes 'Aihara Yuzu' instead of 'Okogi Yuzu'. However, before her father passed away her last name was significantly more powerful and wealthier than the name she currently has. Her real name is Hayato Yuzu, rightful heir of the famous Hayato Clan that specializes in martial arts. Set after the Kyoto Arc.
1. Yuzu can fight!

After the events during the excursion trip things went back to how they were between the sisters. While Mei and Yuzu's relationship didn't worsen, it didn't improve either. Though Yuzu would have preferred it to have been the latter she was fine with waiting for Mei.

It had been an ordinary day for Yuzu. She woke up to her little sister, Mei, who was already dressed in her uniform.

"Wake up Yuzu or we'll be late", the student council president said in her authoritative voice.

After a few more tries Yuzu finally got up and got ready for school. She hurriedly stuffed her bento into her bag and grabbed a piece of toast before rushing out after Mei. When they arrived at school Yuzu went to greet Harumi in the classroom and Mei left to do some student council work. Apparently an important visitor would be coming to the school and of course Mei had to greet and guide them through the school.

The day passed slowly as the blonde had no interest in any of the lessons. After lunch time Yuzu and Harumi were walking back to their classroom when they noticed that the other students were looking out the window. Curious, they both looked through the window as well.

They saw a limousine pulling up by the front gate and Mei and her grandfather waiting for the visitors to exit the vehicle. Yuzu's eyes widened and she suddenly ran away, much to Harumi's confusion.

"Yuzu?!", the brunette called out after her.

* * *

At the front gate Mei and her grandfather were awaiting the visitors and were ready to greet them.  
Finally a man in a suit exited the limousine and opened the door. An elderly woman stepped out, along with two bulky men who seemed to be her bodyguards.

"Welcome Mrs. Hayato", Mr. Aihara greeted as they shook hands. "This is the student council president and my granddaughter Mei".

Just as Mei opened her mouth to greet the old woman a voice called out from behind them.

"Grandmother!"

Yuzu had walked towards them. Mei and her grandfather wore shocked expressions, while Mrs. Hayato kept her serious demeanor. Mei had also noticed that Yuzu's usual messy uniform was all buttoned up and that her tie was fixed.

"It has been a long time! I did not know that you would be visiting", Yuzu said in a respectful manner.

"I did not come to visit you, _Yuzuko_. I came here regarding a business matter.", the elderly woman spat.

"O-of course, my apologies grandmother", Yuzu answered while bowing.

Mei grimaced at the old woman's sharp words directed at Yuzu. She was quite surprised that this bitter woman was even remotely related to the usually bright blonde.

Clearing his throat, Mr. Aihara spoke up, "I was not aware that Yuzuko was your granddaughter, Mrs. Hayato".

"I didn't think it was of relevance regarding a business matter", Mrs. Hayato responded coldly.

"O-oh well then, shall we continue the tour?", Mr. Aihara tried changing the subject.

"Yes, let's", the old woman said.

* * *

By the time they showed Mrs. Hayato around the whole school, the bell rang indicating the end of the school day. All the students were leaving, except for those who had club activities. The three made their way to the dojo as it was the only place that they haven't gone to. Since it was after school the karate club were training in the dojo.

"Hmm your school is very impressive. You have many facilities too, including a swimming pool and a gymnasium. I also commend the students that are practicing martial arts here", the old woman nodded approvingly.

"Martial arts is an important tradition in my family after all. May I ask for a demonstration?", Mrs. Hayato inquired.

"Of course. Mei would you ask them to do a demonstration for our guest?", Mr. Aihara asked Mei.

"Of course, grandfather"

As the students were about to spar, Mrs. Hayato spoke up, "I was hoping that Yuzuko would do a demonstration", she turned to Yuzu who had decided to accompany them during the tour.

"I'm sorry but _Yuzu_ isn't part of the martial arts club", Mei insisted.

"I'll do it...", Yuzu interjected.

"But-", Mei was about to protest.

"I just need a moment to change", Yuzu cut her off.

After a few minutes Yuzu emerged from the changing room, wearing a spare Karate Gi. She wore a serious expression as she approached a girl with long, curly, black hair. Although Yuzu did not pay much attention in school, she still knew about Suzuran Shiraho, the martial arts president. It was said that she was a ruthless fighter and only had to look at her opponent to defeat them. She was also given a nickname, 'The Shadow', as she could easily evade any attacks from her opponent almost like they were chasing her shadow.

"Um, Shiraho-senpai right? Will you be my sparring partner?", Yuzu asked as she stood confidently in front of the third year.

The other students started whispering amongst themselves.

"Isn't that the girl who always causes a fuss?"

"Yeah, she's the one who interrupted the morning assembly that one time!"

"Can she even fight?"

"There's no way she'll stand a chance against Shiraho-senpai, she's a fourth degree black belt!"

A silence fell over the students as Yuzu and the president bowed and got into a fighting stance.  
Yuzu took a defensive stance, waiting for the other girl to attack her first. The president eyed her for a moment before launching the first attack, swinging her leg up to kick Yuzu's upper body.

Mei was shocked to see the normally cheerful girl so serious. She had no idea that her sister could be so… cool.

Shiraho's eyes widened when her blow was blocked by Yuzu's arm. She continued to attack Yuzu but to no avail as the blonde easily blocked all her attacks. The president retreated back and seemed to analyze Yuzu's stance once more, "Tch". She got ready to attack again and swung her fist at her.

However, Yuzu managed to dodge her punch and stretched her right arm up, thrusting her hand forward and landing a blow right under her opponent's chin with the heel of her palm. The third year's head flew backwards and she landed on the floor with a loud thud. She was knocked out from the impact of Yuzu's attack.

Everyone's mouth was agape in shock. They didn't think that the infamous gyaru in first year would be able to fight, let alone defeat their president with a single blow!

Mei was having a confusing mixture of emotions in her head. She was baffled and astounded at Yuzu's skills and for some reason her heart raced while her face seemed to grow warmer. _'She's so hot'_ , she thought before stopping herself. _'Stop it Mei. Now is not the time to be thinking about that stuff'_ , she mentally scolded herself.

Yuzu turned to Mrs. Hayato and merely saw her smirking arrogantly. "Will that be all?", Yuzu asked with a smile.

"Hmm, well, I'm not that impressed so far...", she pretended to think. "I know", she turned to her two bodyguards. "Junko, Jirō why don't you show my granddaughter what a proper demonstration should look like?", she suggested.

"Hold on a minute Mrs. Hayato, this is taking things too far!", Mei's grandfather protested.

"Why don't we let Yuzuko decide?", the old woman remarked.

Mei's eyes widened and she quickly turned to Yuzu, looking at her with pleading eyes. ' _Please just say no…'.  
_  
However Yuzu just gave her a forced smile as if to say, _'I have to do this'._

She glared at her grandmother and held her fierce gaze as if to challenge her. "Very well...I'll fight", she replied in a confident voice.

The two bodyguards walked up and stood in front of her. Yuzu didn't bother bowing and just got into her fighting stance.

"Come at me", she challenged.

The two men did as they were told and immediately launched themselves at the blonde. Yuzu was barely able to dodge their onslaught of attacks, but thankfully the men soon grew tired and stepped back.

Yuzu was panting, she was also getting tired of dodging all of their attacks. _'I'm still kinda rusty at this and my stamina's not great so I have to end this quickly'_ , she thought.

Finally regaining her breath she lunged forward and managed to strike the two men in the face. The impact of her punches managed to knock off their sunglasses from their faces, breaking as it fell to the ground. The men angrily looked at each other and nodded.

Yuzu took a cautious step back as the men ran towards her. A painful _crack_ resounded in the entire room when one of the men landed a blow right in her stomach. She lurched forward in pain as the air was knocked out of her and was grabbed by one of the men from behind. The other man started to continuously punch her in her abdomen while she was being held back.

The students watched as they covered their mouths in horror while others couldn't bare to witness the brutality of the scene. Mei was horrified as she watched her sister being mercilessly beaten by the men. Her heart dropped when Yuzu's eyes started drooping as she was slowly losing consciousness.

"Yuzu!"

At the sound of Mei's voice Yuzu perked up. She let out a growl and kicked the man in front of her between the legs. As the man fell to his knees she jerked her head backwards, hitting the other man's face. She continuously did this until she heard a _crunch_ and a cry of pain. His hold on her loosened and she pushed him away, retreating to a safe distance to try to regain her breath.

The man stepped back, his hand covering his nose as blood was spurting out. "You bitch! Y-you broke my nose!", he cried.

She merely smirked at him which made the man snarl at her. When he finally recovered from the pain between his legs the other man stood up and attempted to punch her again. Yuzu evaded his attack and kicked him in the stomach. He fell to his knees once again, gasping for air.

Swinging her leg down on his back, he stayed down. As the other man ran towards her she stretched her leg up and spun around, hitting him with full force in the face. Both men finally stayed down.

Sighing with relief Yuzu spun around to face her grandmother.

"Are you… are you satisfied with the demonstration now, grandmother?", although she was clutching her abdomen in pain and spoke in between ragged breaths, her posture and tone had never seemed more confident.

Mrs. Hayato sighed in defeat before answering, "It should have taken you less time, Yuzuko. But I guess that this standard is acceptable...".

Yuzu perked up and smiled in accomplishment at the older woman's response. Mrs. Hayato turned to Mr. Aihara and thanked him for the tour and demonstration and took her leave.

"Grandmother, please let me walk you out!", Yuzu attempted to touch her back to guide her to the door only to have her hand slapped away.

"Don't touch me.", the bitter woman said, not even looking at her. "Your hair… dye it, it disgust me…"

Yuzu's proud smile faded immediately and she looked down in shame as her grandmother walked away. Mr. Aihara turned to Mei, "Mei why don't you help your sister to the infirmary. It looks like she took quite a beating".

Mei happily obliged and stayed with Yuzu as her grandfather accompanied Mrs. Hayato to the school gate.

* * *

Mei helped Yuzu by wrapping her arm around her for support. Yuzu could barely walk and with each step she threatened to collapse. Upon encountering the two sisters, Himeko decided to help out.

The slow walk to the infirmary was silent except for Yuzu's heavy breathing. She was exhausted, which was understandable seeing as she fought against two skilled bodyguards, twice her size.

When they finally made it to the infirmary they found it to be empty. While Himeko ran off to find the nurse Yuzu lay down on one of the beds and Mei sat down on a stool beside her. Yuzu closed her eyes and focused on breathing, trying to ignore the pain each breath caused. Mei noticed her pained grimaces and tried to make herself useful by grabbing a piece of cloth and cleaning up the bloody cuts on her sister's face.

Upon contact with the wet cloth Yuzu flinched from the sting of the alcohol but relaxed soon after. Each time she saw Mei her heartbeat quickened and her breath became rapid so she kept her eyes closed since she knew that she would see her sister's face close to hers.

" _Yuzu"_ , a soft voice broke the silence.

"Mm?", was the only reply Yuzu could muster. She still kept her eyes closed.

After a brief silence Mei finally asked, "Why did you act so… _different_ when you were talking to your grandmother?".

"What do you mean?", Yuzu said in a soft voice.

"You weren't acting like your usual self", Mei said firmly.

"Oh, yeah… I guess"

"Wasn't she your grandmother? Why did she treat you like that?", Mei asked worriedly.

"I-I don't know…", Yuzu lied, finally opening her eyes but still averting her gaze from Mei.

Mei stopped dabbing the cloth on the girl's split eyebrow and grit her teeth in annoyance. ' _Why won't she look at me?!'_

"Yuzu!", Mei suddenly stood up.

She put both her hands between Yuzu's head, effectively pinning her on the bed. Yuzu was finally looking at her.

"Stop averting your eyes and look at me properly!", frustration and desperation laced her voice.

Tears threatened to fall from her eyes. She was hurt. Hurt that Yuzu was treated so harshly by her grandmother, hurt that she was beaten by those men and hurt that Yuzu wouldn't tell her anything; that she _wouldn't let her in._

Yuzu's eyes were wide. She realized that she had hurt Mei and her gaze softened. Just as they were about to lean in they heard footsteps. Mei reluctantly got off the bed and sat back down on the stool.

When the nurse examined Yuzu she was immediately brought to the hospital as her ribs were threatening to poke into her lungs. She also had a minor head injury due to breaking one of the men's nose and was thoroughly examined in both her brain and abdomen to make sure there was no internal bleeding.

Thankfully her broken ribs were the most serious injuries that she had and she wasn't allowed to leave the hospital for at least a week due to the bad break.


	2. Recovery

When she got up this morning Yuzu's mother would never have guessed that she would receive a call from the hospital notifying her that her daughter had three broken ribs and a 'minor' head injury. Of course the situation was more clearly explained by Mei while she frantically left her workplace.

As a mother she would immediately be struck with the feeling of terror and worry if they heard that their daughter was sent to the hospital but this wasn't the first time Yuzu's mother experienced this kind of nauseating fear only a mother could understand.

She could clearly remember the last time her daughter was in the hospital. That was the night when she lost her first husband. ' _Please, not again…_ ', she thought while hurriedly driving to the hospital.

* * *

 **Mei's POV**

The middle aged woman's worries vanished when she arrived at the hospital and was replaced with relief as Yuzu's examinations had already been finished and the results showed that she did not have any internal bleeding in neither her head or abdomen.

However, her relief soon turned to anger. As Mei and her step mother sat in the car quietly on the way back to their house. They had to pick up a few things for Yuzu during her stay in the hospital. Mei was looking down at her hands, which she was fidgeting with.

Noticing her step daughter's unusual behaviour she took a deep breath to calm herself down. She reached her arm out towards Mei while keeping the other on the steering wheel. When Mei felt a soft hand patting her head she looked up to see her step mother.

Not looking away from the road she calmly said, "It's not your fault...".

Mei's tears started to fall and she finally let out a small whimper and began to silently sob.

The middle aged woman was ashamed for acting so childishly in front of her step daughter. She realized that Mei must have already been blaming herself for what happened and now her anger was only amplifying the feeling of guilt. Although Mei was her step daughter, she really did grow to love and cherish her like her own daughter as well.

When they finally arrived Mei grabbed some clothes and other accessories that Yuzu requested before shoving them all in a bag. There was no time to be neat and tidy as she had no intention of letting the blonde out of her sight for another minute.

She inwardly groaned when she passed the stack of documents lying on her desk. ' _Those can wait…'_ , she thought.

* * *

 **Yuzu's POV**

Yuzu stared at her hand pensively as her mind wandered. She let out a defeated sigh before chuckling, "Man, this hurts more than I thought…".

"What hurts?", a voice suddenly spoke from behind the curtain next to Yuzu's bed. The owner of the voice pulled the curtain aside, revealing the blonde's opponent from earlier.

"Sh-shiraho-senpai?! Why are you here?"

"I see... Saying 'why are you here' as a response after you beat and injured me is quite interesting…", she said with an eerily indifferent tone.

Yuzu scratched the back of her head, "Oh… yeah, sorry 'bout that".

"What about you, Aihara Yuzu? After I was taken to the infirmary I heard a lot of commotion", she asked with a tone of voice indifference once more but the words were genuine.

"Nothing much… just had to beat some guys up but wait- how do you know my name?", Yuzu raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"I know more than just your name. You're 16 years old, born August 8th, a Leo, and your blood type is O. Second year student in class A, student number is 2, and you're right-handed, you sit in the last seat near the window, you like primary colors, and the color of your top and bottom undergarments are orange, your three measurements are-"

"Stop! H-how do you know all this personal information?!"

"Just from observation… but also because I read your student card earlier while you were changing into the karate gi earlier", the older girl explained nonchalantly.

Yuzu covered her chest defensively, "Th-then you were peaking while I was changing?"

"No, I only saw now. These hospital gowns are quite revealing you see?", she tugged at the top of her gown.

"I see… well, that's quite impressive! Knowing all those things just from observing. But anyway, how bad is it?", Yuzu pointed at her own chin to indicate the huge bandage that covered the other girl's chin.

"Not that bad. Just a bruise and a minor case of whiplash. But my family insisted on bringing me here…", the older girl shrugged.

The blonde sighed, "That's a relief…".

There was a moment of silence before Shiraho spoke up, "May I ask you something?"

"Yeah, sure?"

"Aren't you weirded out by me? Though it's just a habit of mine to observe people, others usually feel uncomfortable and start acting all awkward around me. However, you said it was impressive. That's actually the first time someone has said it was amazing, since most people dislike it…"

Yuzu held her chin in thought before answering, "Well, it's true that you surprised me… but that's not enough reason for me to be 'weirded out' by you!"

"Hm, I guess there are some exceptional people I don't understand at all…", the upperclassman mumbled to herself. "Ah! I'm late in introducing myself, even though you already know my name, it's still common courtesy. I'm Suzuran Shiraho".

"Suzuran, huh? That's a nice name. Hmm Shiraho… shiraho-ah! How 'bout I call you Shirapon-senpai?", Yuzu suggested excitedly.

* * *

 **1 week later  
**  
Yuzu stretched as she got out of bed, suddenly flinching when a sharp pain shot through her sides. She was recuperating well but she was still far from recovering from the bad break in her ribs.

"Finally, I can go home…"

It was Sunday and though she enjoyed her time off school she was still excited to leave the hospital. Shiraho had left a few days prior, seeing as her injuries were not as bad as hers. After being cramped up in her hospital room she was ready to go back to school.

During the past week Mei had been taking care of her (though she used the excuse of delivering Yuzu's homework since Mei was such a tsundere). At first it was quite awkward between them since their kiss was interrupted but things went back to normal after a while. Mei decided not to press Yuzu about her grandmother and her knowledge of martial arts since it seemed to make her uncomfortable.

Harumi suddenly burst through the door, "Today's the day, Yuzu-chi!"

"Good morning Yuzu-nee", Matsuri casually walked in followed by Mei and Himeko.

Yuzu sighed, "You guys are more excited than I am. It's only 8 o'clock and I don't have to leave 'til, like, 10".

Mei, Harumi, Matsuri and even Himeko had just arrived to pick her up from the hospital, they offered to help Yuzu with her bags and Mei had to pick her sister up in their mother's stead since she was busy at work (not that she minded).

As a result of her injuries Yuzu couldn't overexert herself as her lungs were still in danger of her ribs poking into them. She also couldn't move her upper body much, particularly her neck and back, due to her head injury..

Yuzu got up from her bed and staggered towards the bathroom to get dressed. Just as Mei was about to help her a nurse came in.

"Um Miss Aihara needs to sign some papers before leaving…", the nurse meekly said.

Since Mei was responsible for Yuzu, (even if she was the younger sister) she decided to sign the papers. "You go get dressed. I'll sign them for you…", she offered.

Yuzu gave her a thankful smile before entering the bathroom and getting dressed.

* * *

 **A few hours later  
** _  
_When they arrived at the house they decided to throw Yuzu a 'welcome home party'. They ordered pizza and decided to sing karaoke on the TV.

"It's already getting dark so I should get going", Himeko stood up and walked towards the door.

Harumi got up and followed suit, "I'll see you in school tomorrow, Yuzu-chi!".

"Well then, I guess I should go too. Make sure to take good care of her _Mei-san_ ", Matsuri gave her a knowing smirk.

After they left there was an awkward silence between the two stepsisters as Mei blushed at Matsuri's implication.

"I-I'll put the dishes away", Yuzu got up but was suddenly struck with a feeling of dizziness. Just as she was about to hit the floor Mei stretched out her arm and caught her.

"Let me…", Mei grabbed the stack of plates from Yuzu's hands and left in the direction of the kitchen before turning around, "You should get some rest, it's been a long day…"

Yuzu merely nodded and blushed at Mei's kindness. She slowly made her way to her room and collapsed on the bed face down.

"It's great to be back on my own bed", she said to herself outloud, ' _next to Mei_ '. She suddenly perked up and slapped her furiously blushing cheeks, "What am I thinking?!", she screamed into a pillow out of embarrassment.

Just moments later Mei walked into the room. Yuzu suddenly stiffened, ' _Did she hear me?_ ', she thought. "Oh, M-Mei you're already done cleaning the dishes?", Yuzu awkwardly said.

Mei merely nodded and slowly, almost seductively, walked towards Yuzu. When their faces were mere inches apart from each other Yuzu closed her eyes out of nervousness. ' _Wh-why is she so close?!'_ , a million scenarios went through her head. Before she could finish her thought Mei suddenly spoke up, "Yuzu".

"Y-yes?!"

Suddenly she was enveloped by warmth. At first Yuzu was confused but she suddenly grew embarrassed as she realized that Mei was hugging her. "M-Mei?"

"I missed you", Mei finally said. She didn't just mean it physically. Ever since the events that happened during the school trip, things had been quite awkward between them. She felt like an emotional distance had grown between them and started to feel lonely.

Yuzu's eyes widened and she smiled as her hold on Mei tightened, "I missed you too". She understood the deeper meaning her words held. Yuzu had also started to miss Mei's touch.

Mei suddenly broke their hug and looked into Yuzu's eyes. She leaned closer to the older girl and her lips were hovering over Yuzu's when suddenly they heard the front door slam closed followed by a voice shouting 'I'm home!'. Their mother had arrived.

' _Why now?!_ ', Yuzu thought in frustration. She suddenly felt cold as Mei backed away, breaking their embrace. She sat down in front of the desk and started to work on a stack of documents that was presumably student council work.

Suddenly the door opened, "Yuzu, welcome home!", greeted the middle aged woman.

"O-oh Hi mom.."

"What, it sounds like you're not happy to see me!", Yuzu's mother pouted.

Yuzu averted her eyes as sweat dropped from the side of her forehead. She was disappointed that their kiss was interrupted yet again.

The middle aged woman then turned to Mei who was busily signing papers, "Mei-chan thank you for picking Yuzu up".

Mei merely replied with a quiet 'Mhm' before resuming her work.

"You shouldn't overwork yourself, alright? Dinner will be ready soon!", Yuzu's mother said before leaving.

Once again an awkward silence filled the room except for the sound of scratching against paper. Yuzu noisily shifted between the duvet, panting at the energy it took to make herself comfortable. She decided not to think about what might have happened if their mother hadn't interrupted them. A headache had already started to set in and she decided to sleep on it.

Suddenly Mei broke the silence as she spoke without looking away from her work, "Yuzu".

"Hm?", Yuzu opened one eye.

"Welcome home…"

Yuzu smiled before dozing off, "I'm home…"


	3. Rejection

"I'm off…", Mei said looking back at the blonde.

Yuzu groggily looked at Mei, giving her a smile and waving at her. "Have a nice day", she weakly said.

"...You too", Mei smiled back at Yuzu.

As she was about to shut the door the older girl suddenly spoke up, "Mei, what… why was your grandfather doing business with the Hayato clan?

After a short silence Mei answered, "Grandfather wanted to improve the school's security, especially after the incident with Amemiya-sensei"

"I see…", Yuzu grit her teeth at the memory of Mei's ex-fiancé.

The younger girl frowned at the unwanted recollection of the memory as well before reluctantly shutting the door behind her. Yuzu was still feeling unwell so she couldn't go back to school yet. Mei sighed as she started making her way to school.

' _Maybe I should go home earlier today…'_

* * *

 **After school**

"President you're going home already?", Himeko asked her best friend. Normally Mei would be the last to leave school due to the amount of student council work she tries to cram into one day.

Mei looked up at her as she put on her shoes "Yeah, I have to go on an errand.."

"Okay, well see you tomorrow then!"

"Yeah…" Mei gave her a curt nod as she put her school slippers on the shelf.

She was a good bit away from school when she received a call from her step mother. "Mei-chan are you still at school?"

"I'm on my way home right now"

"Oh good, then could you do me a favour? I'm going to be late tonight so I won't be able to buy Yuzu's medicine. Would you please stop by the pharmacy to buy her medicine for me, please?"

"Of course, it's no problem at all", Mei said in a calm voice, though she was willing to do anything if it was for her blonde stepsister.

The middle aged woman expressed her gratitude before hanging up. The pharmacy was only a few blocks away from the train station. She would be able to buy Yuzu's medicine and catch the train with time to spare.

When she arrived at the pharmacy she hurriedly bought a bottle of painkillers and antibiotics and quickly left in the direction of the train station. Thankfully she arrived at the train station with around 10 minutes to spare.

It was unusual for the station to be empty as it was around the time students would board the next train home. Counting herself lucky she breathed a sigh of relief and closed her eyes.

Her luck was short lived however, as a familiar voice interrupted her peace, "Well, if it isn't Mei-san".

Mei sighed, annoyed at the arrival of a certain middle schooler. "What do you want, Matsuri?"

She faked a hurt expression, "I just wanted to know how Yuzu-nee is. She didn't go to school today right? Taniguchi-senpai's been whining about it all day"

Deciding to calm down a bit, she answered Matsuri's question, "Yuzu stayed at home today. She's still not feeling so well…"

There was a comfortable silence before Matsuri spoke up again, "I heard what happened… about Yuzu-nee's grandmother I mean. To be honest I'm quite surprised. I didn't think that old hag would ever come back..."

Mei furrowed her eyebrows in confusion, "What do you mean?"

"Well, that old hag, who is Yuzu-nee's father's mother, hasn't even talked to her for more than a decade!"

"Why?"

"You should already know these things! Haven't you ever asked Yuzu about her past?", Matsuri asked as she pointed a finger accusatively at Mei.

' _No. I haven't'._ She looked down in shame. She felt so full of herself, she thought that nothing mattered to Yuzu after she met her. She thought that her past didn't matter as long as Yuzu had Mei. Mei's eyes widened and she felt a sharp pain in her chest.

Matsuri sighed at the older girl's reaction. ' _Just be honest with your feelings already'._ "Yuzu-nee is the granddaughter of that old hag right? That would make _her_ the heir to the Hayato Clan. Of course, she was also properly trained before… well, before that old hag cut off all ties with her and her mom after Yuzu-nee's dad passed away".

"But why? Why did she abandon Yuzu and mom?"

Matsuri shrugged her shoulder, "I dunno. Yuzu-nee wouldn't- couldn't tell me…"

They sat in silence until the train arrived. Mei slowly stood up and quietl walked towards the doors to the train. She looked back at Matsuri, who was still sitting on the same spot, then turned around and boarded the train without a word.

* * *

Mei finally arrived at home and she quietly made her way to the living room where Yuzu sat comfortably, wrapped in blankets.

"Oh, Mei! Welcome home!", the blonde greeted with a smile.

Not even answering her step sister, Mei walked towards Yuzu and hugged the older girl. Yuzu sat in shock at the younger girl's gesture.

"Mei?"

Mei sat quietly as she held on to Yuzu before finally speaking up, "Why did your grandmother treat you like that? Why was she so mean to you? Why… why did she abandon you?".

Yuzu was taken aback by the many questions that shot out of the other girl's mouth. She took a moment to process the questions before finally understanding.

"O-oh that. Well, 'cause… 'cause I keep breaking the school rules! Yeah! I should really dye my hair back…", Yuzu smiled, almost forcing a chuckle.

"...Yuzu-"

The blonde suddenly stood up from the couch and paced towards the kitchen, "So, what do you want for dinner? I'll make you whatever you want since I'm feeling way better now!".

Mei grit her teeth as the clattering of pots could be heard from the kitchen.

"How 'bout some omurice, Mei? It's been awhile since I've made some-"

"Yuzu!", the younger girl interrupted her older stepsister's panicked attempt of evading her questions.

The clattering of pots and sound of pacing ceased.

"Why does she resent you so much?", Mei started to walk towards Yuzu. "Why are you lying to me?"

"I'm not lying…", the older girl stared at the floor. "Besides, how do you know I'm lying?"

Mei stopped right in front of Yuzu, "Because you haven't looked me in the eye since I asked you…"

After a short silence the older girl emitted a heavy sigh, "I… don't want to talk about this…"

The raven haired girl was losing patience. She grabbed Yuzu's arms and shook her slightly, "Why not? Just tell me-!"

" **Because I killed my dad!** ". Yuzu's voice broke in between sobs, "I killed him. _I'm_ the reason he's gone…"

Mei's eyes were wide in shock and confusion as she stared at the girl in front of her.

" **That's** why she hates me", her voice was barely audible. Yuzu chuckled bitterly, "I mean, who would want to look at the murderer of their son? _I_ can't even look at myself properly without hating my existence…"

Mei's grip on the older girl tightened and she pulled her into a hug, "Yuzu, I'm sorry… I never knew…" ' _that you were suffering so much'_

Mei was always too busy thinking about her own problems that she didn't even think to stop and realize that Yuzu had her own issues to deal with. ' _And yet she always tried her best to help me with mine…'_

Yuzu broke off the hug and made her way towards their bedroom. "There's leftovers in the fridge if you're hungry", the blonde said with a hoarse voice.

Mei tried to plead with her as she held onto her shoulder, "Yuzu, please just talk to me"

"I want to be alone right now…", the older girl shook her hand off before leaving.

Mei was stunned but even more so perturbed at Yuzu's estrangement. She stood alone in the middle of the living room, left with her own thoughts. The heavy feeling of rejection made her lose any appetite she had.

The suffocating guilt she felt for forcibly prying into Yuzu's affairs made her nauseous. Mei clenched her fist in an effort to suppress the flurry of emotions that rushed through her. The revelation of Yuzu's past and her uncharacteristic behaviour made her her feel scared, sad and angry all at the same time.

She felt scared and sad because, for the first time ever, she didn't know how to approach Yuzu in this situation. Usually she'd just have to give her older step sister a quick kiss to get her to obey her wishes. No matter what hurtful things she said to the blonde, she'd always just come running back to her.

But this time she couldn't solve this with a kiss. She hurt Yuzu too much, she brought up her most painful memories. Memories that the girl had locked up and wanted to hide forever.

Anger suddenly took over her as tears unconsciously started to fall down her cheeks. She started to sob. ' _This is how Yuzu felt when I kept pushing her away'._ A low growl escaped her mouth, ' _How frustrating it must have been to be unwanted by the one you want the most…'_


	4. Before it's too late

Yuzu was awoken by Mei's soft yet stern voice as usual, "Yuzu, wake up".

Usually the blonde would whine before lazily getting up but today she wasn't feeling like herself. She hadn't been feeling like herself since two days ago, when Mei rejected her. It was then that Yuzu decided to give up her feelings for the student council president. That's why she hadn't been feeling like herself lately, because it felt like she gave up a part of herself.

"I promised Harumin I'd walk to school with her on my first day back…", she said, not even turning around to look at the other girl.

Mei replied with a quiet, "I see..", before leaving the room and closing the door softly behind her.

When Mei left, Yuzu sat up and looked in the direction of the door. She wanted to chase after her. But she already decided to give up her 'unrequited' feelings for Mei. Yuzu heard the front door close. She sighed as she got out of bed and carefully put on her uniform.

* * *

 **At the school gates**

When Harumi and Yuzu arrived at the school gates they were greeted with whispering and stares from the other students. Sure they always whispered behind their backs because of their reputation but this time it was different.

Yuzu tried make out what the students were whispering.

"Hey, isn't that…?"

"No way, really?!"

"I heard that...happened and that...!"

Before they could investigate the rumours the students were telling, a familiar face confronted Yuzu.

"Ah! Shirapon-senpai, how are you?"

"Aihara Yuzu, I am happy that you have recovered from the hospital!"

"Oh, thanks?", Yuzu didn't expect such a formal greeting so early in the morning.

"I know that you are still recovering but I would be a failure as the martial arts president if I didn't ask you… Aihara Yuzu-no, Hayato Yuzu please join the Martial Arts club!", Yuzu was surprised to see a senior, who was well known and respected throughout the school, bowing deeply at her.

All students stood gaping at the respected club president of the martial arts club who was bowing and even begging the infamous blonde delinquent to join their club.

The third year was eagerly awaiting the girl's answer when she heard a sigh. "I'm sorry senpai but.. I'm not interested in joining a club at the moment...", Yuzu declined.

Shiraho sighed in annoyance, "I know that we have just become friends recently and I hold no grudges against Harumi Taniguchi but it would be a waste for you to spend your time doing… whatever it is that you do, rather than honing your skills in our club", she explained calmly. "Please, at least think about it first!", she declared before leaving.

* * *

 **Mei's POV**

Mei was on her way to the student council room with Himeko following suit, when she noticed a large number of students looking out the window. Mei ordered everyone to their classrooms with only a glance before curiously looking out the window as well.

Her widened as she saw an upperclassman bowing at Yuzu. ' _A confession?',_ Mei thought worriedly. ' _No, Yuzu wouldn't accept her feelings...right?'_ Mei's stomach dropped and she felt sick at the idea of Yuzu being with someone else.

She let out a sigh of relief when she saw the other girl leave and Yuzu's expression contort to an annoyed one. She realized that they must have been discussing something else as the upperclassman was lacking the blush and nervousness of a girl confessing her love.

' _It wasn't a confession after all... What was I thinking? It's not like it matters anyway if Yuzu accepted her feelings. I already decided that we shouldn't become more than sisters and Yuzu being with someone else is inevitable...'_ With that Mei shook her head to get rid of her thoughts and walked on with Himeko clumsily following behind.

* * *

 **After school**

Yuzu and Harumin were both left at the centre of attention for the rest of the day. Even the teachers couldn't help but act overly friendly in the presence of Aihara Academy's latest celebrity.

"Wait… are you going to join that club?", the brunette asked nervously.

' _I do need the practise…'._ Yuzu sighed to herself and scratched her hair in annoyance, "I'm thinking of joining but the paperwork's gonna be such a pain to do, she whined.

"So you really _are_ thinking of joining that club! Then… who's gonna hang out with me after school?", Harumi comically hung onto Yuzu's arm.

* * *

 **Mei's POV**

"Aihara Yuzu has become quite popular. I wonder why?", Himeko thoughtlessly said as she looked out the window. Yuzu was being followed by a group of girls while leaving through the school gates.

Mei's hand twitched as she was signing some papers.

"I heard that her family are yakuza!", a spectacled girl said. "Well... _before_ her mother remarried-"

"I would appreciate you _not_ encouraging these types of rumours...", Mei interrupted.

Both girls stiffened and immediately shut up. They noticed that their president had been in a particularly bad mood today so they didn't dare press her more on the matter.

* * *

 **After a few hours**

Himeko was standing by the door, "President you should really go home now. It's already dark"

"Thank you Himeko, I'll go home in a bit", Mei answered.

"Okay…", she reluctantly said before leaving.

After a few minutes Mei decided that there was not much point in staying any longer as she would have to face her sister soon. She got up and made her way home.

While on her way home her thoughts were interrupted by a familiar voice.

"Why if it isn't the student council president!", a long-haired brunette called out.

Mei turned around to see Harumin. She scowled and walked on. Mei didn't have the energy to deal with her right now.

"Tell me, why has Yuzu-chi been acting so weird?", Harumin inquired.

Mei stopped in her tracks at hearing Yuzu's name. "What do you mean?"

"Well, she's been acting... _different_. Like today, I asked her if she wanted to go to the bookstore to buy the latest chapter of that manga she's always reading. But she refused! Said that she had something to do…"

Mei didn't say anything and continued to walk on.

"You know, Yuzu's not going to be there at your every beck and call. You're gonna have to make up your mind soon...before it's too late!"

Mei froze in place once again as she was processing the brunette's words before regaining her composure and walking on.

' _Make up my mind…?'_

But she was doing this to protect _Yuzu_. No one would accept them if they started dating. Society would be disgusted by them and their mother wouldn't possibly accept them.

' _But you'll have each other',_ a voice spoke from the corner of her mind.

' _I'm an idiot. All this time I thought that I should deny these feelings. I didn't mind hurting but… once again I ended up hurting Yuzu in the process as well'_

Mei started running. She was certain about her feelings now and she was going to tell Yuzu!

* * *

 **At home**

Yuzu was just on her way out to buy some groceries when she found a letter on the floor.

' _The postman must've slid it in through the mail slot this morning'_ , she bent down to pick it up.

Yuzu was surprised to see that it was addressed to her. She slowly opened it and read its contents.

 _ **To Yuzuko,**_

 _ **I have decided to let you return to my home and prove yourself. If you succeed in proving your worth, I shall accept you into this family once more. Please be ready to leave before noon. You will be picked up tomorrow morning.**_

 _ **That is all.**_

Yuzu reread the words carefully. Even though there was no name signed she knew exactly who sent the letter. ' _What should I do?'_

Just then the front door opened. Mei walked in and Yuzu fumbled to hide the letter behind her back.

"Yuzu! I-", Mei started but was interrupted by Yuzu.

"I-I gotta go! I- groceries...for dinner!", she stumbled her words and ran out the door.

Mei was surprised at the blonde's strange behaviour and though she wanted to chase after her, she decided that she could wait.

She was dead set on making Yuzu _hers_ today, she could wait a few more minutes. So she sat down on the couch and waited for the blonde's arrival.


	5. Don't look back

It was around 6 o'clock in the morning and the sun was only beginning to rise. Yuzu quietly entered her home. She had slept at Harumi's house, and spent the whole night on deciding what to do. After much thought she had come to the decision of accepting her grandmother's proposition and leaving early in the morning.

Yuzu tip toed towards her room. As she passed by the living room she caught a glimpse of her raven haired stepsister sleeping on the couch. Her face was contorted to a grimace as she seemed to be in an uncomfortable position. Yuzu sighed and placed a blanket on Mei before continuing on her journey to her room.

She wanted to take a shower but decided that it was too risky and opted to just change out of her school uniform and put on fresh clothes. Yuzu didn't know how long she would stay at her grandmother's house so she just packed as many outfits that could fit in her duffel bag as she could.

After struggling to pull the zipper closed the blonde hurriedly walked towards the front door. She turned around one final time to take in her surroundings and think her decision over. Though her mother would (probably) understand her choice in 'proving herself' to her grandmother, she still had a bit of doubt in her mind and that was _Mei._

' _She'll probably blame herself… and what if she worries too much and overworks herself even more..!'_

Sighing Yuzu hurriedly scribbled a note down and left it on Mei's desk next to a pile of student council papers. Then, she turned around and left the house. This time without looking back.

* * *

Mei grunted as she woke up and got up from the couch. Her uncomfortable position causing a slight ache in her back. She was waiting for the blonde's arrival late last night only to fall asleep on the couch.

Mei annoyedly looked around the house for her older stepsister. ' _She could have at least woken me up!'_

Her annoyance soon turned to worry and anxiousness as she couldn't find Yuzu. It wasn't a school day and from what Harumin told her yesterday, it didn't seem like they had anything planned for today.

She frantically looked around the house to look for _any_ clues that might indicate where Yuzu had gone. She found that the blonde's clothes had disappeared from the closet and that a duffel bag was missing. ' _Did she run away?'_

Suddenly Mei's eyes caught a note on the desk. Her heart dropped as she read the brief words, ' _I'll be back soon'_

* * *

Mrs. Aihara was surprised to receive a frantic call from the usually calm raven haired girl. She was able to decipher what the girl was saying after telling her to calm down.

Apparently Yuzu had disappeared along with most of her clothes, only leaving a note. The middle aged woman was very confused at Yuzu's uncharacteristic behaviour. Sure, the blonde would act out in school once in awhile… but she would never run away!

She decided to hurry home to, first of all reassure Mei and second to find out why and where Yuzu has gone.

When Yuzu's mother arrived she found Mei holding a piece of paper, presumably Yuzu's note, and reading it intently. Mei handed the note to her stepmother who eagerly accepted and read it.

She reread it over and over again, trying to understand Yuzu's actions or any clues as to where Yuzu could have gone. Just then there was a knock at the door.

Mei and her stepmother looked at each other warily until the middle aged woman decided to open the door herself. When she opened the door she was met with the sight of man in a suit with a slightly bent nose.

Mei recognised him as one of the bodyguards who Yuzu 'sparred' with. It seemed like he also recognised Mei when he hurriedly handed an envelope to Mrs. Aihara before leaving without so much as a simple explanation or goodbye.

Mei was growing even more anxious as she waited for the other woman to open the envelope and read its contents. After an agonizingly long minute Mrs. Aihara breathed a sigh of relief before explaining the situation to Mei.

"It seems like Yuzu's witch of a grandmother has pressured her into living at the Hayato estate for awhile…Something about Yuzu proving herself if she is worthy to inheriting the Hayato dojo.."

"So when is Yuzu coming back?", Mei asked, her voice trembling at the blonde's name.

"It doesn't say, but I know that Yuzu wouldn't go unwillingly and if she's decided to stay… well, I trust her to make her own decision either way", Mrs. Aihara said confidently. She noticed the doubt in Mei's eyes and patted her head reassuringly, "Don't worry so much! Have faith in Yuzu!".

Mei looked up at the older woman and reluctantly nodded her head.

* * *

 **Yuzu's P.O.V**

The chauffeur opened the door before Yuzu stepped out of the limousine. She stood in front of the traditional japanese house for a moment, gaping at its size and luxuriousness.

Though she hadn't stepped foot in the house for more than a decade, it still seemed vaguely familiar to her. One of the bodyguards led her to the front gate which opened to a symmetrical line of maids and suited men. They all bowed down as soon as the gate opened.

"Welcome, Yuzuko-sama!", they all greeted.

Yuzu was stunned and sweat dropped at the over-the-top greeting. "I guess I'll have to get used to this…", she thought with a sigh.

An old woman in a kimono stepped up and bowed at Yuzu, "My name is Izumi Yuka. You may call me Izumi-san, I am the head maid of this house. Since your grandmother is busy at the moment, I will be showing you to your room".

Without another word the old woman turned around and started guiding the blonde through the halls. Yuzu took of her shoes before stepping on the wooden floor. She was trying hard to keep up with the elderly woman. Although she was old she was moving swiftly and Yuzu was afraid that she could lose her at any corner they turned.

Finally the old woman stopped in front of a fusuma with a beautiful design of what appeared to be an orange tree. The elderly woman slid it to the side to reveal a fairly big room.

There was not much furniture, save for a kotatsu in the middle of the room and a few katanas displayed on the wall. However, there was little to no electronics in the whole house, except for the actual lights.

Though Yuzu was disappointed at the lack of technology, she was still determined to stay. She tried to look on the bright side of things and looked around the room.

The walls were shoji-style closets save for one wall which opened to the garden. The garden had a few cherry blossom trees and the sound of running water and the clanking of bamboo could be heard from time to time.

Yuzu's eyes widened in amazement, "Wow, is this my room?", she asked even though she knew the answer.

"Yes. Now, why don't you settle in and I'll be back later", the old woman bowed before leaving Yuzu on her own.

"Wait! When will I see my grandmother?", Yuzu called out but the old woman had already disappeared in the maze of the hallway.

* * *

 **Mei's P.O.V**

After a few weeks since Yuzu's disappearance, Mei's usual quiet and gloomy behaviour was even _worse_ now than it has ever been. Her eyes were dull and emotionless and she had no motivation to do her student council duties. The blonde's absence was slowly killing Mei.

While on her way home from school, Mei happened upon a certain middle schooler (or the other way around) again. This time, there was no playfulness when Matsuri approached Mei. Rather, she had gone back to the scheming, mischievous girl that she was when they first met.

"How pathetic. Looking so depressed when you haven't even done _anything_ yet", Matsuri spat.

Mei pretended to ignore the middle schooler.

Matsuri continued, "At least _I_ told her my feelings"

Again Mei ignored the pink haired girl and walked on.

"But then, I realized something. I knew she would never choose me, 'cause she had _you_ ", she said with a hint of sadness in her voice.

This time Mei stopped in her tracks.

"And yet, despite me giving her up to **you** , you _still_ didn't tell her! Now that she's gone you **finally** realize your feelings but instead of _doing_ anything you decide to stay here and act all gloomy and depressed!"

Mei suddenly grew angry and she swiftly turned around to face the younger girl. "Well what am I supposed to do?! She _made_ the decision to leave!"

"It's _because_ Yuzu-nee left that you should do something! Hasn't she always been there for you when you needed her?!"

The raven haired girl's eyes widened and she couldn't answer the younger girl.

Matsuri smirked, "For someone who's been acting strong most of her life, you're acting pretty cowardly", she said as she left Mei to think about what she just said.

* * *

 **Yuzu P.O.V**

After the head maid left, Yuzu decided to settle into her new room as she was told. She unpacked her things and placed them in an empty shoji-style closet. She found some fresh sheets, pillows, and a futon in the other closet.

Looking around her room, she realised it was quite bare save for the kotatsu in the middle of the room. Without thinking Yuzu sat down and made herself comfortable in the kotatsu. _Mei loves kotatsus. I wonder what she's doing right now…_

With that thought, Yuzu fell asleep.

…

 **After a few hours**

Yuzu woke up to a knock on her door. "Come in!", she called.

It was Ms. Izumi, "Yuzuko-sama, dinner is ready"

"Oh, thanks", Yuzu followed the old woman to the dining area, where a single table lay in the middle of the room. As Ms. Izumi was placing the rest of the food on the table Yuzu awkwardly spoke to fill the silence, "So.. when will I be seeing my grandmother?", Yuzu asked.

Ms. Izumi sighed before answering, "Your grandmother will be returning in 3 months. During that time you will be trained to learn and master different types of martial arts".

Yuzu's mouth gaped, "I have to _master_ them? In only 3 months?!"

"Yes. In the first month, you will build up your strength and agility with proper exercises. In the second month, you will be taught offense and defense and in the final month you shall learn to master these arts", the elderly woman calmly explained.

"But what if I don't?!", Yuzu screeched.

Again Ms. Izumi sighed, this time with slight annoyance, "Don't worry. From what I heard, you were already taught the basics from a young age. You'll probably pick it up in no time", she assured.

Yuzu took a deep breath, closing her eyes to compose herself. ' _If that's what it takes then I'll do it… for papa'._

She opened her eyes and looked at the older woman, her eyes filled with determination, "Alright, I'll do it!"


	6. The Hayato Estate

After thinking about Matsuri's words Mei decided to be honest with her feelings and face Yuzu head on. She was going to stay at the Hayato estate until Yuzu came back home with her. Just like that time when Yuzu had come back for her in her grandfather's house.

With the help of her stepmother, Mei found out the location of the Hayato residence and without much trouble, was able to convince her guardian to let her get Yuzu back. Mei had also already informed her grandfather that she would catch up on all of her studies and student council work when she returned.

So now there she was, standing in front of the gates to the Hayato house. She took a deep breath before pressing the doorbell.

* * *

"Come on! Dodge!", a middle aged man in a white gi uniform threw another punch.

"Yessir!", Yuzu said in between ragged breaths as she was hit in the shoulder.

The man continued throwing punches and kicks at the blonde, "You must watch your opponent's movements and anticipate their attacks!"

"Yessir!", Yuzu once again answered, this time with more determination and successfully fending off his attacks. She continued to do so, gaining more ground in the process and pushing the man back. Yuzu started to go on the offensive and roundhouse kicked Miyagi-sensei, only to block her leg with his forearm.

With that, their sparring session was over and both bowed before Yuzu fell backwards to the tatami mats. She was panting heavily and her whole body was sore.

"Ojou-sama are you alright?!", a maid scurried over to the exhausted blonde.

"Yeah...just tired… Also, drop the 'ojou-sama' already! I told you to just call me by my name", Yuzu replied.

After 2 weeks of training with Miyagi-sensei, Yuzu had become more accustomed to the pain of a full blown attack. She had also become much more lean after building strength in her whole body through strenuous training using barbells, pull-up bars and all sorts of machines. One would not expect such a modern gym in an old fashioned japanese-style mansion, so Yuzu was surprised to see it fully equipped.

"Yuzuko-san, you're still quite rusty, but you're starting to get a hang of it", Miyagi-sensei commented. "You're offense is quite good but we still need to work on your defense"

"Yessir. Thank you sir", the blonde bowed in respect.

Suddenly another maid burst into the dojo room, "Ojou-sama!"

"There you go again with the 'ojou-sama'...", Yuzu said with slight annoyance as she hung a towel around her neck.

"Ah. Yes. I'm sorry Yuzuko-san", the maid bowed in apology. "But there's someone at the gates claiming to be your little sister!"

"Eh?!", the blonde rushed to the front gates. _Why is she here?_

When she finally reached the front gates she immediately made eye contact with the beautiful raven haired girl. Her eyes shifted down to the black duffel bag Mei was holding.

"Mei, what are you doing here.", Yuzu said in a serious voice. Most of the staff had gathered to watch the stepsisters' interaction.

The younger girl tried to ignore Yuzu's unusual seriousness and replied with her usual 'student council president' tone, "I'm here to bring you back home."

"I'm not coming with you"

"I know that", Mei replied confidently. "That's why I'll be staying here until you agree to come home".

Both girls engaged in a staring contest, neither backing down. The maids and butlers remained quiet as they were anticipating their mistress' reply.

An exasperated sigh sounded from the older girl, "You're so troublesome…"

Mei smiled slightly, "I am merely using the same methods as you when you brought me back from my grandfather's house", she said smugly.

Yuzu turned around to face their audience, "Listen everyone!", the staff members flinched as they were expecting to be punished for watching the stepsisters' intense 'discussion'. "This is my little stepsister! She will be staying here for awhile. You're to treat her as respectfully as you treated me! That is all.", Yuzu finished and turned to a butler, "Please show her to her room", she said curtly as she walked away in the direction of the gym room.

Meanwhile, Mei was astonished at her older stepsister's dauntless behaviour. She was in awe of her as Yuzu was usually shy and timid around her which was completely different to her new authoritative behaviour. It didn't help that the blonde was wearing a white gi uniform which made her presence feel all the more overwhelming.

"Aihara-san please follow me", the butler said while taking Mei's duffel bag.

He lead her through the hallways, passing a door with an orange tree on it and stopping in front of the sliding door right next to it.

* * *

"Yuzuko-sama!"

Yuzu immediately snapped out of her current thoughts, "Yes?!"

"Please pay attention", Ms. Izumi demanded. "Now, I understand that you haven't had the best grades in school but you must know these things"

"I understand…", the glum blonde replied half heartedly.

The elderly woman sighed, "I suppose we could learn something else today"

"Uh, like what?"

"History", Ms Izumi simply replied as she pulled out a rather thick book from the top shelf.

Yuzu opened the book and started to flick through the pages until a certain name came up, "Aihara? Why…?". She continued the flick through the pages, recognizing names every so often, "Momokino… Shiraho… Ah, even Taniguchi…"

"That book holds information about important and powerful families in Japan", the elderly woman explained. "I assume the names that you've just called out are acquaintances of yours?"

"Friends, but yeah. I do know them…", Yuzu corrected.

"It isn't that surprising, since most of the students at Aihara Academy come from wealthy or historical families. I think it's quite ironic that you ended up in that school"

Yuzu looked up from the book, "How so?"

"Well, you _are_ the heir to one of the wealthiest and most powerful families in Japan. It's only befitting for you to attend the same school with other heirs to important families"

"Heirs? You mean Harumin, Shirapon-senpai and Momokino-san are like, _heirs_ to important families?"

"Yes, and since you will be taking over the Hayato family, you will have to know these heirs"

"So this is… history?"

Ms. Izumi smiled, "Yes, this is history".

* * *

After finishing her lessons Yuzu went to the gym room to pass the time until dinner.

"Yuzuko-sam- Yuzuko-san, dinner is ready", a maid meekly peeked into the gym room.

"Alright, I'll be there in a minute!", Yuzu said in between bench presses.

When she finished her set she grabbed a towel and dried her neck. Her stomach growled and she decided to shower after eating.

 **In the dining room**

As Yuzu arrived in the dining room, she was surprised to already see Mei eating. She was sitting seiza-style at the table. Having been raised in a mansion she was taught how to eat and sit during formal occasions or with important company.

As both girls made eye contact, Mei's eyes wandered down to Yuzu's upper body. The blonde had changed out of her gi and into a tank top and shorts, presumably to workout, and was still sweaty. Her arms were more defined, strength apparent in her newly formed muscles. Before Mei could take in the rest of her, Yuzu sat down and started eating in silence.

The younger girl stared as Yuzu practically devoured the different assortments of meat and fish on the table.

Yuzu must have noticed as she swallowed the food in her mouth to speak up, "I need to eat a lot. For building more strength.", she briefly explained.

Mei only nodded dumbly as Yuzu went back to scarfing down the food. A maid suddenly came in interrupting the awkward silence, save for the sounds of slurping and smacking. "Yuzuko-san the bath is ready for you".

"Oh, thanks! I'm almost done", the blonde finished the last of her food and started gulping down some water.

"My deepest apologies Aihara-san, the second bathroom is under renovation at the moment so you will have to wait for Yuzuko-san to finish", the maid said nervously. "Unless you would like to share?"

Yuzu spat out her water comically and started coughing uncontrollably, while Mei turned beet red. "N-no, it's fine I can wait", the younger girl mustered.

"Y-yeah, I'll finish as soon as I can!", Yuzu got up to leave quickly, both girl wearing the same shade of red on their faces.


	7. Mei watches Yuzu train

Mei awoke to the sound of grunts, thwacks and thumps. She opened one eye to look at the time and groaned when she saw that it was only 5am.

Seeing as it was pointless to go back to sleep, she made her way to the source of the sounds.

Mei slightly slid the door open which lead to the garden to see all the commotion. Her eyes widened to see Yuzu, once again in her gi uniform, trying (and sometimes failing) to dodge an old man's attacks. She was amazed at how Yuzu could keep up with his movements as they were so fast that it was almost making her dizzy.

She winced as she saw the man land a blow on her face. Redness started to taint Yuzu's visage but she still kept concentrating on blocking all of her mentor's attacks. Yuzu kept thinking back on what he said last time, ' _You must watch your opponent's movements and anticipate their attacks'._ So she kept watching his attacks, waiting for the right moment to strike, and as the moment came Yuzu was able to land a palm heel strike to the man's chin.

The bald man stumbled backwards a bit but regained his footing. Yuzu took the opportunity to step forward and go on the offense, landing a few blows to Miyagi-sensei's torso. The man chuckled happily, "You're finally learning, Yuzuko-san! That was an excellent match. Next we'll move on to more complex attacks. But go have your breakfast first".

With that, Yuzu bowed, "Thank you Miyagi-sensei!", she said with a smile, even if it hurt.

Meanwhile, Mei was surprised to see that it was already 6.47am. Mei was so fascinated by the match that she had not realized she was watching them for the last hour and 47 minutes without knowing.

Suddenly a knock came from her door and she flinched in surprise. "Aihara-san, breakfast is ready!"

"Oh, thank you, but how did you know I was already awake?", she asked while following the maid towards the dining room. ' _Did she see me peeking?'_

"Oh! Well, Yuzuko-san informed us that you like to get up around this time", the maid replied.

"I see…", Mei sat down to eat.

Just then Yuzu came in with a quiet 'good morning' and sat down immediately to eat. Mei stared at her stepsister's swollen cheek with worry.

The maid followed Mei's gaze and gasped, "Yuzuko-san, you're cheek is all red and swollen! I'll get you an ice pack right away!"

"Oh, there's really no need for-", Yuzu said in between her noisy chewing but the maid had already run off.

The two stepsisters sat in silence as they ate until the raven haired girl spoke up, "You really should cool it down, or else the swelling will get worse…"

Yuzu looked up from her bowl of rice, ' _Is she worried?'_ "This is nothing! I've had much worse!", she tried to reassure the younger girl but obviously failed as that statement only made Mei's brows furrow with worry more.

Suddenly the maid came in, interrupting the silence between the girls once again. She handed the ice pack to Yuzu and turned to Mei, "Um, Aihara-san what would you like to do today? There's no television or anything since this house is quite old fashioned. However we do have a library if you're interested?"

After a brief pause the younger girl mustered up her answer, "I would like to watch Yuzu train, would that be alright?", she inquired.

Yuzu raised an eyebrow in confusion, ' _Why would she want to watch me?'_

"Sure, as long as Yuzuko-san doesn't mind?", she turned to the blonde.

Yuzu looked down in defeat, "Do whatever you want…"

* * *

After eating breakfast, Yuzu went back to the garden, with Mei following her. Neither knew what to say so an uncomfortable silence had set between them.

Mei sat on the engawa as she watched Yuzu train intently. It seemed like all she's been doing recently is admire Yuzu's new side. A side that she never knew the blonde had. She watched as the blonde broke boards of wood, tiles, bricks and cinder block with her hands, elbows and legs.

"Alright, that's all for the warm up", the bald man called, who Mei discovered to be called 'Miyagi-sensei'.

And so Mei spent all afternoon watching Yuzu train.

…

After lunch Yuzu finished martial arts training and went to the gym. Mei had decided to visit the library while Yuzu got changed out of her gi. She wanted to read a book while Yuzu trained so she wouldn't just sit there and gawk at her older stepsister's hot, sweaty body. Just thinking about it made the younger girl blush madly.

On the other hand, Yuzu had been trying to ignore the raven haired girl's presence all day. Her eyes had been following her the whole time so it was hard for the blonde to focus on training properly. The slight distraction had caused Yuzu's concentration to slip which in turn meant it was harder to dodge Miyagi-sensei's attacks, causing her whole body to gain some more bruises.

In order to prevent that from happening during her exercises, (because god knows she might die from dropping a barbell on her head) she decided to listen to some music.

So Yuzu started her usual workout routine, alternating between each muscle group; her arms, chest, back and legs. Mei's eyes slowly wandered towards the blonde's direction, completely forgetting about her book. She unconsciously gulped as she saw beads of sweat run down the older girl's body, which accumulated into blots of sweat on her tanktop. Mei watched as Yuzu dabbed a towel on her face and drank a whole bottle of water with one gulp. ' _Oh god. She's too hot',_ Mei was now aware that her throat was dry and that she felt a bit... _thirsty._

After 2 hours of hard training both girls were called for dinner. Yuzu decided to shower first as she wanted to avoid the awkward silence that had set between them for the last day.

* * *

After finishing her dinner Mei made her way to her room, passing the door with the orange tree and entering the door next to it. As she bent down to pull out some clothes from her duffel bag, she heard a quiet yelp from the other side of the wall.

" _It'll hurt more if you squirm so much!"_

She walked towards it, realizing that 'the wall' was actually just a sliding door meant to divide one room into two. Mei heard another cry of pain before she slid the door open.

Her eyes widened as she saw Yuzu's half naked form covered in bandages. The blonde was sitting cross legged with her back facing towards her as a maid, who seemed to be applying some sort of cream on Yuzu's shoulder blade turned to look behind her, "Oh! Aihara-san sorry for the noise! Was it bothering you?".

"No, not at all. I was just curious as to where that sound was coming from…", Mei said as she saw Yuzu's back stiffen.

"Well, I was just putting some cream on Yuzuko-san's bruises-Ah! I forgot the bandages! I'm sorry to ask you to do this Aihara-san, but would you mind applying this cream on Yuzuko-san's back, while I get the bandages? All the other maids have already returned to their rooms and I can't ask any of the butlers to do this!", the maid frantically explained.

All the while Yuzu had not said a single word, waiting for Mei's answer anxiously.

"No, I don't mind…", Mei said reassuringly as the maid nodded and ran off to retrieve the bandages.

Another awkward silence set between them. Both wore red faces which neither could see. ' _What the hell! Her room was right next to mine the whole time?! There are_ _ **so**_ _many rooms you could get lost in this house but they just_ _ **had**_ _to put her next to my room!',_ Yuzu inwardly screamed.

She heard the younger girl sit down behind her which made her stiffen even more. Yuzu flinched at the cold sensation of the cream touching her sore spots but soon relaxed as she felt Mei's soothing fingers.

A comfortable silence set between both girls, much to both stepsisters' relief. Mei grimaced as she saw the many bruises littering the blonde's body. She continued to rub the cream on the freshest bruises which were blue and purple while the older bruises, which had already started healing, were yellow and green.

"Mei.", Yuzu suddenly spoke up.

"Yes?"

"Why did you come here, seriously?", Yuzu tightened her fists in nervousness.

Mei's hand froze for a second as she thought of how to answer the older girl's question.

"...Because you left before I could even tell you my true feelings", Mei finally answered. She wrapped her arms around Yuzu's neck, "Yuzu, I-I love you".

Yuzu didn't move an inch. She just sat still, completely frozen. "I know that after all I've done to you you must hate me but… no matter what, I wanted to tell you my true feelings! But.. if you _do_ hate me… then push me away. I'll go back home and I'll give up on these feelings…", Mei finished.

After a brief silence Mei was pushed backwards with Yuzu pinning her to the floor. "You idiot! How could I ever hate you?! You make my heart beat so much sometimes it's painful… and sometimes you do the most confusing things! Like randomly kissing me then pretending like nothing happened the next second. And when I finally accepted that you didn't want me I was ready to give up on these feelings... you say this to me!"

Mei stared wide eyed at the blonde, seeing small droplets of tears forming in Yuzu's eyes. "Why-why do you do these confusing things to me?", she finally started crying.

Mei couldn't think of anything else to do but reach out her arms and embracing the older girl, "I'm sorry...I'm sorry…", she said soothingly as she pulled Yuzu closer to her.

After a while Yuzu got up and wiped away her tears. She silently sat down in front of Mei and closed her eyes indicating for the younger girl to tend to her bruised cheek from this morning. The raven haired girl did as was indicated and started applying more cream to the blonde's face.

Just then the maid came rushing in, "Sorry it took so long! We were out of bandages so I had to run out to get some.", she explained.

The maid hurriedly but carefully wrapped fresh bandages around the blonde's back. Yuzu slipped into an oversized shirt as Mei stood up to go back to her room when the blonde suddenly spoke up, "Maria-san, please set up my futon next to my stepsister's…", The maid stared in confusion but merely nodded obediently, "Of course Yuzuko-san".

Mei's eyes widened in surprise and she felt her face grow hot once again. After the maid finished placing the futon next to Mei's she turned to Yuzu, "Will that be all for today, Yuzuko-san?"

"Please have someone remove the sliding doors dividing this room tomorrow", she inquired.

"As you wish. Well, goodnight Yuzuko-san, Aihara-san", the maid respectfully bowed before sliding the door behind her, leaving the two girls on their own.

Mei, who was trying to remain calm, walked towards her duffel bag to complete her original task; get changed.

When she finally pulled out her clothes she noticed that Yuzu was staring at her. ' _Crap',_ she thought. ' _I don't know where the bathroom is'_

Yuzu noticed that Mei was worried about something, "Mei? Is something wrong?".

"I need to get changed but I don't know where the bathroom is…", the raven haired girl said meekly.

Yuzu tilted her head in confusion, "Why don't you just change in here?"

With that question, Mei blushed an even darker shade of red which made Yuzu smirk knowingly. "What, are you embarrassed? You just saw _**me**_ half naked so it's only _fair_ that I see _**you**_ _half naked_ ", the blonde said in a joking manner. But as soon as she said that Mei had started to undress.

Yuzu stood frozen as she saw Mei timidly pulling off her shirt, exposing her bra. The blonde was about to explode as she watched the younger girl's expression. She looked so timid, obedient and… _submissive_ it made Yuzu question her morality. Her fingers twitched as Mei had started to slide down her pants.

Without warning Yuzu pushed the other girl against the wall, surprising the both of them as the blonde's body seemed to move on its own. Mei stared at her older stepsister needily, her eyes half closed as both girls leaned in and finally gave into temptation.

 **Lemon!:**

Animal instincts took over as Yuzu kissed Mei roughly, slipping her tongue into the squirming girl. Her kisses were usually timid and inexperienced but now her tongue moved so skillfully that even Mei had to break the kiss to catch her breath.

The younger girl had never seen Yuzu like this before. Usually it was _her_ that took the lead but now she was completely under her older stepsister's control.

Yuzu looked into Mei's half lidded eyes as she struggled to catch her breath and panted heavily, "I don't think I can hold back anymore, Mei".

"Wai- Yuzu-! Mmm", the older girl sucked on Mei's neck which made her squirm yet lean into Yuzu more.

She pushed Mei onto the neatly made up futon and moved her knee up between Mei's legs, Yuzu immediately pulled off Mei's bra and started licking and sucking her breasts.

This was completely different to how Mei thought Yuzu would act for their _first time._ She thought that the blonde would primarily focus on doing things slowly and taking her time, asking for Mei's consent before doing anything. However Yuzu couldn't stop herself. She was uncontrollable because she _needed_ Mei, right there and then.

Yuzu moved down, kissing Mei's navel and sliding down to her waist before roughly pulling off her panties.

The blonde took a moment to look up at Mei who hid her face behind her forearms. Yuzu moved up to look at the blushing girl's face.

" _ **Mei. Show me your face**_ " _,_ Yuzu's voice was demanding, almost authoritative.

Obediently (yet reluctantly), Mei removed her arms from her face but couldn't meet Yuzu's gaze.

' _She's so cute',_ Yuzu thought before cupping Mei's face and gently kissing her.

Finally she moved down in between Mei's legs. " _ **I love you Mei**_ " _,_ the younger girl shivered as she could feel Yuzu's breath shower her down there. "Mmph!" Yuzu ran a finger down her moist slit before pressing her thumb on her bundle of nerves. Mei closed her eyes and let out a moan as she felt a tingling sensation between her legs.

Just as she was about to lose consciousness from the tingling spasm that threatened to burst, Yuzu suddenly took her clitoris between her lips and sucked lightly, sending Mei over the edge. "Ahhh!", she tilted her head back and grasped the sheets as she reached her orgasm, sending sparks of electricity through her whole body.

Yuzu pulled back and watched her girlfriend's expression with pride. She watched the younger girl's chest rise and fall, giving her the perfect view of her soft mounds. " _ **You're so sexy, Mei…**_ " _,_ Yuzu said as she buried her face in between her girlfriend's breasts. As the last spasm left Mei's body Yuzu started to rub her slit again. "Not done yet!", she exclaimed.

"Wait Yuzu! I just came so I'm really sensiti- Ahn~!", Mei was interrupted by Yuzu inserting her index finger into her sex. " _ **Mei, you're so beautiful**_ " _,_ the blonde slowly started to pump her finger in and out of the girl, increasing the pace as Mei's orgasm was starting to build up again.

"Hyah-!" Suddenly Yuzu inserted another finger and moved her fingers in a 'come here' motion, hitting the raven haired girl's g-spot. Mei's moans grew louder and after repeating the motion a few more times, she arched her back and reached another exploding orgasm.

After calming down from her high the younger girl attempted to glare at Yuzu. "What if someone heard us?!", she whisper-screamed.

"Don't worry, the servants sleep on the opposite side of the building. The only ones on this side are me and you", the blonde tried to assure with a smile.

However, to Mei it looked like a cocky smirk which irritated her quite a bit. Without any warning the younger girl pounced on Yuzu and pulled her shirt off. Her eyes widened as she was met with Yuzu's lean body. Even though it had only been a few weeks since Yuzu's training in both the gym and martial arts, her body had changed quite a bit from the last time she saw her. Yuzu's abdomen was taut and toned and.. _sexy._

"Um...Mei- _san?_ ", Yuzu asked nervously.

Mei ignored her as she visibly gulped while staring at Yuzu's newly formed six-pack with hungry eyes.

The younger girl moved to rip off the rest of Yuzu's clothes off. She was breathing heavily as she did so, inspecting Yuzu's form more closely. She had wanted to do this since she saw her training in the gym.

Yuzu could swear that the younger girl was trying hard not to drool, which filled her with a little bit of pride. But suddenly she felt a sharp ache return in her body, wincing as she felt it. Mei noticed the grimace and immediately became concerned, "Yuzu, what's wrong?".

"Sorry, it's just my bruises from today are still fresh and it kinda hurts to move now", the blonde smiled in hopes of easing the younger girl's worries.

Mei frowned, feeling guilty since the blonde ignored her exhausted and injured body in an effort to please her.

Suddenly she leaned down on Yuzu, kissing her and gently entering the older girl's mouth with her tongue. Yuzu was surprised at first but gladly kissed the girl back. The kiss was soft and tender, in contrast to Mei's usual forceful yet passionate kisses.

Mei was trying to be as gentle as possible. She wanted to make Yuzu feel better, being careful to not overexert the blonde and instead focusing on pleasing her girlfriend.

Yuzu was the first to break the kiss, " M-mei?".

"It's alright Yuzu. You don't have to do anything. Just relax..", Mei assured with a soft tone.

Yuzu happily obliged as Mei started kissing and sucking her neck, slowly moving down in between Yuzu's breasts. She kept trailing soft kisses down the blonde's toned abdomen, stopping at the girl's waist.

At this point Yuzu was panting heavily, "Mei...stop teasing..me", she pleaded. Mei moved up to give her another kiss, removing the remainder of the girl's clothes in the process.

Breaking off the kiss Mei moved down in between Yuzu's legs, gliding her hands along every curve of her girlfriend's body. Finally, her dominant hand slithered downward as she started to rub Yuzu's bud.

Mei rested her head on the older girl's shoulder as she watched her expressions closely. She moved her hand down even further to reach the source of Yuzu's wetness.

"Ah! Hahnn~", Yuzu couldn't hold back her voice as the younger girl slid a finger into her folds with ease. After finding a steady rhythm Yuzu arched her back and raised her hips closer to Mei's hand to deepen her action.

Mei watched as beads of sweat slid down Yuzu's godly form, turning her even more on and pumping the older girl harder in the process. As she reached deeper inside the girl, she curled her fingers up, successfully hitting Yuzu's g-spot which earned a scream of pleasure from the older girl.

Inserting another finger in, the raven haired girl increased her pace as she hit the blonde's g-spot harder. "Ahh! Mei...mei! I love you…!", the older girl confessed. Mei blushed even more at hearing her girlfriend's words. She hungrily kissed Yuzu as she increased her pace even further and rubbed her bundle of nerves with her thumb.

"Ahhnn~", As Yuzu was nearing her climax she wrapped her arms around Mei's neck to deepen their kiss. After a few more strokes Yuzu arched her back and buried her face in Mei's shoulder.

"Mei I love you so much… I love you so- Hyah~!", she said in between the waves of pleasure.

Mei continued to leave small kisses on the blue, black and purple bruises that littered the older girl's body. The sight of them saddened her a bit which made her want to kiss Yuzu again and again in hopes of making her forget all the pain.

Yuzu, who had calmed down from her orgasm, understood the younger girl's small gestures and wrapped her now, strong arms around her girlfriend. Both felt exhaustion overcome them and after a minutes both were asleep in each other's arms.


	8. Watching her girlfriend

Mei woke up to the soft sensation of Yuzu's fingers in her hair. She groaned softly as she turned to the blonde who was twirling the younger girl's jet black hair around her index finger.

"Good morning", she smiled brightly.

Mei smiled back and kissed the older girl's forehead lovingly, "Good morning".

"Did you sleep well?", the blonde inquired.

Mei, who was still half asleep, replied with a quiet "..Mhm, you?"

The younger girl felt her girlfriend squeeze her slightly, "Best sleep I've ever had…".

"How's your cheek?", Mei reached out to gently caress it.

"It's fine now thanks to all your kisses", Yuzu smiled.

They lay there for a few minutes, just breathing in each other's scents when a loud and annoying clock started to ring incessantly. Yuzu groaned before she got up reluctantly to turn it off. It was 5am and it was time for her early morning training.

Mei still lay under the covers as she watched the blonde starting to get dressed in a new white gi uniform. Yuzu looked down at the girl, who seemed to be pouting.

"Do you really have to get up already?", she asked in a disappointed tone.

Yuzu found it to be quite adorable as Mei looked like a small, pouting child. "Yes, unfortunately I can't skip my morning practices. I'll be done by 7"

She heard a sad sigh from under the covers before her girlfriend got up as well.

"You should sleep some more", Yuzu suggested.

"No, there's no way I can go back to sleep once I'm already awake, so I might as well watch you again…", the younger girl bent down to pick up her undergarments that was strewn about on the floor from last night's events.

Yuzu stared at her girlfriend as she slipped on some underwear. ' _Wow. All of that is_ _ **mine.**_ _**She's mine.**_ _I can't believe it…'_

Before she realized it, the raven haired girl had approached her and closed her gaping mouth.

"Careful, or you'll start drooling"

Yuzu blushed at the usual quiet girl being so playful, ' _Yup. I still can't believe it'._ With that, she was fully motivated to train.

* * *

After watching Yuzu's morning lessons both girls were called out for breakfast.

"Ah, Yuzuko-san. Today you'll be spending the rest of your morning with Izumi-sama", the maid explained while she laid out more food on the table.

"Izumi-san? Why?", Yuzu asked as she lifted an eyebrow in confusion while basically devouring most of the food.

"Your tutor called in sick today so Izumi-sama will take his place", she collected the empty plates that was slowly piling up thanks to Yuzu's huge appetite.

"Oh, alright. Thanks", the blonde said as she stuffed her mouth with more food.

After the maid left Yuzu noticed the raven haired girl's slightly confused stare, "Mei? What is it?"

"Tutor?", was all the younger girl said.

"Oh yeah, as the 'heir to the Hayato clan' I must be educated as such, so I need to continue studying", the blonde explained. " _Tsk, even if I'm not in school right now…",_ she muttered under her breath.

"I see", Mei curtly said as she stifled a giggle at Yuzu's cute pouting face. "Well, maybe I could join, since I was thinking of catching up on my studying anyway…"

The older girl's eyes widened with excitement, "Yes, that's a great idea! At least then it won't be so boring".

...

Sadly, it was not how Yuzu had imagined it at all. Since Mei was independent and self sufficient enough she could study on her own in the corner of the library while Yuzu sat on the opposite side of the room with Izumi-san. She sat bent over on her desk, sulking until she shook her head as she genuinely tried to pay attention to what Izumi-san was talking about.

Meanwhile Mei pulled a few books out from a shelf and sat down to study. She groaned at the thought of the pile of student council work that awaited her back in school but she quickly shook those thoughts away. The outcome was worth it as she was finally able to confess her feelings. She turned backwards to look at the blonde who seemed to be really focused on listening to Izumi-san and writing notes down intently.

' _Wow. She's actually studying. She seems so focused too…'._ Suddenly she gasped as she caught herself staring once again and quickly turned to her books again. Mei consciously blushed after remembering what happened last night. It was a bit of a late reaction, but it finally hit her.

She shook her head violently again to concentrate on her studies. First, she read up on some japanese literature, then moving on to social studies and finally some calculus.

* * *

Before she knew it they were called out for lunch and Yuzu soon left to continue her martial arts lessons. Mei decided to spend the afternoon reading her book as she wanted to take some time to relax. Plus, she couldn't keep watching her girlfriend train, not after last night. Or she might just pounce on the blonde right there and then.

She returned to her room where she found that the servants had removed the sliding doors that separated their rooms. Mei walked towards her bag where she pulled out her book. While doing so another book fell out of her bag. ' _Oh, I still need to give her this',_ she glanced at the newest chapter of Yuzu's favourite manga before she stuffed it into her bag again.

The dark haired girl settled down on the kotatsu while reading her book. Though she was finally relaxing from all her worries, that being catching up on her studies, her student council work and of course confessing to Yuzu, she still felt a bit of dread in the pit of her stomach. But she couldn't think of why.

The girl instead tried to concentrate on reading her book, reading chapter after chapter until a maid had come in to gently wake her up "Um, Aihara-san? Dinner is ready…".

Mei slowly lifted her head up from in between her book, rubbing her eyes while doing so. When had she fallen asleep? She quickly closed the book and made her way towards the dining room.

She couldn't help but smile as she saw her girlfriend already sitting at the table. However, it soon faded away as she saw the blonde in an even worse state than she was in yesterday.

"Hey!", the older girl said enthusiastically.

"Hi…", Mei couldn't help but frown at the other girl's injuries as she sat down quietly.

Yuzu noticed her girlfriend's frown and put two and two together before smiling at her lovingly. "Mei… I'm okay… okay?"

Mei's face was obviously full of doubt but she nodded anyway. She continued to eat until her gaze shifted towards Yuzu once more. She looked at the blonde's shaking hand as she was trying (and failing) to use her chopsticks.

The younger girl sighed in annoyance before using her own chopsticks to grab some food and pointing it towards Yuzu. "Um… Mei?"

"Hurry up already! It's distracting to see you struggling to eat…", the raven haired girl lamely said while looking away.

Yuzu smirked at Mei's gesture and hungrily ate the food from the girl's chopsticks. "It's so yummy! Having Mei feed this to me makes it a hundred-no, a thousand times better!"

"Shut up, just keep eating…", the younger girl couldn't do anything else but continue feeding the blonde while turning a slight shade of pink.

With some reluctance, difficulty (and tsun) Mei mustered up the courage to offer Yuzu some assistance in the bath. Of course, she was able to look and keep her cool while asking her girlfriend in her 'student council president' mode.

Yuzu happily accepted the younger girl's offer and felt a bit embarrassed for needing help in the bath. But she did know that Mei wanted to talk about something, judging by how she kept staring at her injured hands.

* * *

Finally, after dinner both girls entered the bathroom. Yuzu _would_ have been nervous if it wasn't for Mei's serious expression. She knew that now was not the time to indulge in any of her… _fantasies._ Besides, she wasn't really in the right condition for anything since she couldn't even _wash_ herself.

The blonde pulled the bandages off herself, much to her relief. Though they were necessary for keeping her wounds clean, they made it hard to breathe. She sat down on one of the small stools and rinsed herself first with a pail of water. Mei soon joined her and started to massage some shampoo on the older girl's golden locks.

She felt Yuzu's body become tense as she continued to smear more shampoo on her girlfriend's body. Though there was no hidden intention in her offer in helping her girlfriend, it was still quite embarrassing.

"Turn around. I'll wash your back..", Mei simply said.

Yuzu did as she was told and turned around, giving Mei a view of her scarred back. The bruises on her abdomen were already healing but the ones on her back were still pretty messed up, making sleeping a difficult task for her as well.

Suddenly the blonde felt a warm and soft sensation on her back, particularly on the spots that were bruised. Her body eased as she realized that the younger girl was kissing her. The younger girl sighed heavily before leaning forward and burying her face into Yuzu's nape.

The blonde waited for a moment before finally speaking up, "..Mei, is something wrong…?"

There was another moment of silence before Mei answered, "Yesterday, when I saw all the injuries on your body and today, after your training your hands-". She sighed once again before continuing, "It-it made me realize the toll it's taking on you…"

Yuzu didn't say anything as she waited for Mei to say more.

"I know that you made the decision to do all this yourself and I can see how determined you are… But please just- just be careful…", Mei finally finished.

Yuzu turned around to embrace the girl in her arms. ' _I see, she's worried…'_ , she thought. "I'll try to be more careful from now on, okay? I'll definitely dodge all of Miyagi-sensei's attacks next time and I'll _definitely_ achieve my goal and come back home with you. So please, stop worrying about me…"

Mei suddenly let out a small chuckle, "Are you stupid? I don't think I'll ever stop worrying about you from now on… But I guess that's part of loving someone.."

Yuzu snickered at that, "So, you _love_ me?", she said smugly.

She felt a small jab on her arm, which (thankfully) wasn't injured. Mei glared at her, "Yes, _I love you,_ okay?"

The blonde smiled and couldn't help but laugh with happiness. ' _She really does love me huh?',_ she thought gleefully as she kissed the younger girl passionately.

…

After finishing their bath both girls made their way to their now shared room. Mei remembered her present for Yuzu but didn't know how to give it to the blonde without being… _awkward._

"Sit down over there, facing the wall and close your eyes", she suddenly blurted out, her voice coming out authoritatively instead. "Don't open them no matter what"

Yuzu however, was already prone to Mei's 'student council president' mode and was able to ignore her forced, confident tone. Actually by this point she was probably already oblivious to it. "What, what is it? Is it a surprise? What is it? Show me, show me!", Yuzu couldn't hold in her excitement.

Mei merely rolled her eyes at her girlfriend's childishness, ' _So impatient…'._ She opened her duffel bag and pulled out the manga book.

Meanwhile Yuzu was growing impatient, "Can I open them now?"

"Mm"

With that, Yuzu finally opened her eyes. A smile tugged on Mei's lips as she watched Yuzu's eyes light up. "Oh my gosh! The newest chapter of the Momoiro Sisters! I've been dying to read this. But how did you know?", Yuzu asked excitedly.

"Taniguchi-san told me that you didn't buy the latest chapter of your favourite manga series. So I simply took the liberty of getting it for you", the younger girl explained while quickly replacing her smile with her usual poker face.

Mei was suddenly engulfed in a tight embrace to which she happily eased into. The contact was short lived however, as Yuzu couldn't wait another second.

She tried (with some difficulty) to open the first page of the chapter. Her injured fingers were visibly trembling and she was starting to get irritated by them. That is, until she felt a soft hand on hers.

"Here, let me", Mei offered as she wrapped her arms around Yuzu, her chest against the older girl's back while holding the chapter in front of the blonde, giving her a clear view of the first panel of the page. Both sat comfortably with Mei leaning her back on the wall while she turned the pages for Yuzu.

She herself was starting to enjoy the manga when she felt the other girl's soft and rhythmic breathing. For the third time that day she couldn't help but smile at the blonde. The younger girl leaned into her girlfriend more, breathing in her scent before falling asleep as well.


	9. Nightmares

_She can remember that they were joking and playing 'I spy' in the car. She can remember him laughing at something she said. Then suddenly an idea came to her. She thought it would be funny, so she leaned forward and covered his eyes from behind._

 _She felt the car swerve and saw him dive towards her, wrapping his arms around her as if to protect her for what's to come._

" _Yuzu-!", was the last thing she heard. Well, that and the sound of his head colliding with concrete._

" _Dad…?"_

 _His arms were still wrapped around her, stiff and motionless. They lay there for what seemed like hours. She couldn't move under his weight so she just stayed there, crying as red soaked into the pavement, into her clothes and into her hair._

" _Please… get up!"_

 _It was suffocating, not just his weight on her but also the smell of blood combined with the nearby smoke that the fire was emitting._

" _Dad please…!"_

 _Suddenly she felt the weight disappear._

" _Dad, you're okay…!". Then, cold, bloodied hands grabbed her by the shoulders. "D-dad?"_

" _Why did you do it Yuzu? Why did you_ _ **kill**_ _me?!", an inhuman voice screeched at her._

" _You killed me! You killed me_ _ **Yuzu**_ _!"_

…

" **Yuzu!** "

Suddenly her eyes shot open and she frantically sat up. Her heart was racing and her whole body was covered in sweat.

"Shh it's alright Yuzu, it was just a dream. I'm right here…", Yuzu was greeted with her girlfriend's concerned eyes.

"Mei…", the blonde looked around. She glanced at the clock. It was 2.37am and it was still pitch black outside.

"What happened?", the younger girl asked as she wiped away Yuzu's tears. "You were crying and screaming so I tried to wake you up…", she explained worriedly.

The blonde stared at Mei dumbfounded, "...I was?".

The younger girl nodded, "...Do you want to talk about it?"

Yuzu looked away for a moment before sighing, "I… I dreamt about my dad… a-about the accident", she said reluctantly. "H-he was yelling at me. Shouting that it was my fault- that I killed him…!", Yuzu's eyes were filled with fear, dejection and tears.

Mei immediately pulled her into a hug, brushing her hair softly while calming her down. There was another moment of silence before she heard the older girl chuckle bitterly.

"He was holding me like this too… that's how I survived. That's why he died…! Because he protected me. I should've- I should've been the one to…", Yuzu trailed off.

"No, don't ever say that Yuzu! He- your father he wouldn't have wanted you to think that! He _wanted_ to protect you because he _loved you_ ", Mei assured. "And I love you too… so don't say that you should've been the one to die!"

Yuzu's eyes widened, "...I'm sorry…".

Mei tightened her embrace on the older girl in reply, which Yuzu happily reciprocated. Both girls fell asleep after a while, still entangled in each other's arms.

* * *

The next morning both woke up without bringing up the event that took place earlier that day. Not that they were avoiding it, just that the problem was dealt with and now they're moving past it.

It has been a month after Yuzu's promise to Mei and, to the younger girl's relief, she really did keep her promise. The promise Yuzu made to work harder and day after day the blonde had improved in her combat skills, as well as her defense skills, meaning the amount of injuries she received daily decreased in amount and severity.

Mei was happy with that and had decided to go back home since she wanted to check up on everything at home. Her responsibilities were gnawing at her each day so much so that she could not relax any longer and _had_ to do _something._

Although Yuzu was reluctant to let her go back she knew that Mei wasn't the type of person to just sit around doing nothing. She was a girl of action which is another reason why the blonde loved her so much.

"I'll make it up to you, I promise", the younger girl said as she was entering the limousine.

"Okay", Yuzu smiled. "Please make sure to tell mom that I'm fine and that I'll be back soon…"

Mei nodded in assurance as the chauffeur closed the door. Yuzu started walking back when she heard a tapping sound on glass. She looked behind her and saw Mei mouth a word. ' _Wha?'_ Her confused look made Mei repeat herself, this time mouthing the syllables slowly and more exaggeratedly. "Ga-N-Ba-Tte!"

Yuzu was able to make out what Mei was saying just as the limousine turned a corner. ' _Ganbatte, huh?',_ she giggled quietly to herself. ' _She's so cute…',_ the blonde tried to squeal inwardly but failed as the servants stared at her with confused expressions.

As she arrived in her room she held Mei's pillow close to her, taking a deep breath before gaining her enthusiasm and optimism for what's to come, "Ganbatte!", she said to herself while punching upwards.

* * *

 **Mei's POV**

As Mei felt the vehicle turn and drive out of view she couldn't help but explode in embarrassment. ' _What did I just-_ _ **Why**_ _did I do that?!'._

' _Because you wanted her to cheer up after seeing that sad look combined with that fake smile!',_ someone, somewhere in the back of her mind told her.

' _Yeah but still- What I just did was… so uncool'_

' _Since when do you care if you're uncool or not? Actually, since when did you care about anyone's opinion of you at all?'_

Mei suddenly gave herself a smack on the cheek to regain her composure. She took a deep breath before sighing, "Yuzu, what are you doing to me…?"

She chuckled to herself quietly, "You've _literally_ made me go crazy for you".

...

The house was in a terrible state when Mei arrived. As soon as she took off her shoes she called her stepmother, worried that something may have happened.

"Mei, what's wrong? How are you girls?", Ms. Aihara asked nonchalantly.

"I just came home and the entire house is a mess… are you alright?"

"Oh dear! I didn't think you would return so soon, I'm sorry! I was just so busy with work and what with all the deadlines and-", the middle aged woman tried to explain.

Mei sighed in relief before stopping her stepmother, "It's okay I'll handle it. You needn't worry"

Before Ms. Aihara could reply however Mei had already ended the call and rolled up her sleeves.

She put all the clothes that were strewn about into the washing machine. Next, she collected all the empty containers of microwave meals, ramen cup noodles and leftover take out food that littered the entire kitchen and living room. Finally, she threw out all the trash bags that were already overflowing and washed all the dirty dishes as well.

After finishing all the house chores she called Himeko over to bring all the school notes, homework and student council work that she had missed. She wanted to get everything done so she could return to Yuzu as soon as possible.

* * *

 **Yuzu's POV**

After Mei's encouragement earlier, determination seeped into her body and she decided to study some more in the library. She had immensely improved in her fighting skills and actually picked it up after a few more weeks as muscle memory kicked in from when she was taught martial arts from an early age. Now, the rest of the next month would be spent on augmenting and honing her abilities.

But since her skills had improved so much, she had to focus more on studying. Things like history, business and languages were being taught to her as just knowing some martial arts was not enough to let her take over the family business.

Although she was so determined at first, it didn't make studying any less boring. Her tutor would not be in today so she had to study by herself, making it all the more harder.

' _Maybe I should just take a nap for the rest of the day…'_ , she thought to herself for a moment. However the image of Mei cheering her on made her snap out of her thoughts immediately. She decided to ask Ms. Izumi if she could tutor her for the rest of the day.

* * *

After a few days of strenuous studying and perfecting some of her fighting techniques Yuzu had entered a 'zombie-like' state where she did nothing but study, eat, train, and sleep.

' _Was it always this boring without Mei?',_ she thought sadly. ' _I wonder what she's doing now-'_

"Yuzuko-sama, would you _please_ pay attention?", her tutor suddenly cut her thoughts off.

 **Meanwhile...**

Mei was slowly dying as she was catching up on all the work she had missed. She had completed all of her homework assignments already and now she was working on finishing all of the paperwork for the student council.

' _Was it always this boring without Yuzu?',_ the thought suddenly appeared in her head. ' _I wonder what she's doing now-',_ suddenly she cut herself off and smacked her cheeks in an effort to get a hold of herself.

' _Focus, Mei. The faster you get this done, the sooner you get to see her…'_

* * *

 **Back to Yuzu**

After one and a half weeks since Mei left Yuzu was sure that she would die. Sure, the servants would do anything she asked, but they would _not_ allow her to leave. That was part of the deal after all, to 'stay in the Hayato estate' meant that she could not leave until her grandmother allowed her to.

' _I want to see her…!',_ she grew more and more impatient by the day as she punched the punching bag harder.

"Yuzuko-san…?", a servant was reluctant to interrupt her as the blonde's frustration had been growing worse each day and was becoming more and more obvious.

"What."

"Er- dinner is ready if you would like some-", the servant offered before being cut off.

"No thanks. I'm not hungry", Yuzu answered with a monotone voice as she turned back to vent out her frustration on the red sack in front of her.

"Th-then perhaps a bath…?"

The blonde stopped to think before answering, "Yeah, please prepare one, thanks". Yuzu felt bad for scaring the servant and tried to smile.

"Alright, as you wish Yuzuko-san", the girl brightly said, cheering up.

* * *

As Yuzu collapsed on her futon she realised how exhausted she was, not just physically but also mentally. She rolled over to where Mei's side used to be and sighed heavily as she closed her eyes.

' _Another night without her…',_ she thought sadly as she tried to fall asleep.

Her eyes shot open however, as soft and slender fingers wrapped around her own. Her eyes were met with Mei's half-lidded, amethyst ones. Before the blonde could speak her mouth was met with the younger girl's, which she gladly welcomed.

Mei broke off the kiss after what seemed like a few minutes, smirking as she looked at Yuzu's flushed, panting face, "Told you I'd make it up to you…".

The blonde, who was still recovering from the intense kiss just then, whispered into the raven haired girl's ear, "...not enough".

That was enough of a prompt for Mei to pull off Yuzu's shirt. Both _needed_ it, right there and then. There was no time for teasing. She hurriedly took off her own shirt as she resumed kissing the older girl while pinning her to the floor. Mei was moving quickly, she had no intention of going slow.

The raven haired girl moved down, trailing small kisses down the blonde's collarbone, to her hip and then to the girl's inner thigh.

Mei was about to pull her girlfriend's underwear off before her hand was grabbed by the older girl. She looked up at the girl in confusion.

"Come here… I'll do you too…", Yuzu said huskily.

Mei blushed at the older girl's suggestion, "B-but that kind of position is… _embarrassing_ ", she whispered the last word.

But before she knew it, Yuzu had managed to get on top of her with her rear end facing Mei. The younger girl was startled at first but the image of Yuzu's... uh _gluteus maximus_ right in front of her made her lose all sense of humility.

"I-if you won't do it then I'll- Hyah!", Yuzu was interrupted as she felt a warm, slippery organ enter her.

"Yuzu...try to keep… it down…", Mei said in between each stroke of her tongue.

"How am I supposed to- Hah!... w-with your tongue inside me- mmph!".

Yuzu was starting to get irritated so she started using her index finger to touch the wet spot on Mei's panties. She used small, light strokes before using her other hand to stroke her bud. This earned a loud moan from the younger girl.

"Look Mei. You're so wet that my finger's going in through your panties…!", Yuzu tried to get back at her but suddenly felt two fingers enter. "S-so, you wanna play dirty?", the blonde said, feeling competitive.

Mei didn't reply and merely continued pleasuring the older girl until she felt Yuzu shift slightly. The raven haired girl could swear that she saw fireworks for a moment when she felt something vibrate against her bundle of nerves.

"Y-yuzu- Hyah! Wh-what- Hah! ...is that…!, Mei tried to control her voice but failed.

Yuzu chuckled at the girl's reaction, "It's an electric toothbrush. Nice, right? You see, after you left I was very lonely you know? I wanted to be ready for when you returned. Actually, I haven't even used this. I haven't touched myself at all since you left".

Just as she finished explaining, Mei felt something similar to a lightning jolt pass through her body. Before she knew it she came, leaving her gasping for air.

Satisfied with seeing the younger girl trembling from her orgasm under her, Yuzu moved off the girl and lay next to Mei.

"...too…", the dark haired girl quietly mumbled.

"Hm? Mei, did you say something?"

The younger girl sighed before speaking again, "I said me too…"

"Huh?

"I haven't touched myself either since I left. I wanted you to be the one to…", she trailed off, avoiding eye contact with the other girl.

Yuzu couldn't help but smile at that. She sighed contently as she embraced the younger girl, pulling her closer to herself since there wasn't much space in her futon, "Sorry, it's a bit cramped. I hope you can sleep comfortably… I would set up your own futon but I don't know where it is".

Without warning however, Mei got on top of her, straddling the older girl.

"M-mei?", Yuzu was stunned at the girl's sudden action.

"I don't need to sleep and I'm not _letting_ _ **you**_ sleep either, so prepare yourself…!", Mei declared.

Yuzu gulped in nervousness and excitement as she braced herself. It was going to be a _long_ night.


	10. Confrontation

It was about 8 in the morning when Yuzu had woken up. The blonde felt refreshed despite being sleep deprived as a result of last night's strenuous activities. She looked down to see her girlfriend wrapped in her own arms, still sleeping soundly. Yuzu started to unconsciously fiddle with Mei's jet black hair, breathing in the younger girl's scent in the process.

She recognized her girlfriend's natural scent with a hint of lavender, which was different from the vanilla shampoo they had been sharing for the last few months.

A muffled "Good morning" came out of the raven haired girl's mouth, followed by some shuffling. Mei turned her head to look up at her blonde girlfriend.

"Sorry, did I wake you?", Yuzu gave an apologetic smile.

The other girl shook her head slightly, "No, it's okay…"

"You should go back to sleep, Mei", Yuzu suggested.

Mei only gave a small nod in reply before dozing off once more.

Yuzu wanted to spend the rest of the day like this. She thought she could since Miyagi-sensei didn't have much else to teach her, so she didn't have to get up at ungodly times in the morning anymore.

However, just as the blonde was about to doze off as well a sudden knock jolted her awake.

It seemed like Mei had also woken up from the sudden disturbance as she immediately got up to slip into some clothes while Yuzu scrambled towards the door.

"Y-yes? What is it?", Yuzu asked.

"Yuzuko-san, you must get ready immediately!", a distressed voice called from the other side of the door.

"Why? What's the hurry?"

"Well, your grandmother is on her way here! She's a week earlier than expected. I heard that she's at the airport right now and will be arriving in twenty minutes!", panic was apparent in the maid's voice.

' _Crap.'_ , was the blonde's first thought. "A-alright. I'll be out in a few minutes"

Yuzu turned to Mei who just finished dressing up. The younger girl immediately noticed the other girl's pale face. "What is it?"

"M-my grandmother… she's on her way here!". The blonde started to pace around, "What do I do? I'm not ready to confront her yet! Well, that's actually the whole reason _why_ I came here but… but I'm still not ready!"

Mei grabbed the girl other girl's quivering shoulders, "Yuzu! Calm down, it's alright."

The other girl stared into Mei's violet eyes as she nodded and took a deep, albeit shaky, breath.

"Yuzu, you'll be alright. I'm right here with you"

Yuzu chuckled nervously before responding, "Yeah, I know… thank you", she hugged the other girl for a moment before getting up and hitting her cheeks. "I've got this!"

Yuzu got into her usual clothes. She also packed her bag since she had a feeling that she would no longer be staying there.

* * *

Yuzu and Mei entered the room where Mrs. Hayato was already sitting in.

"Grandmother, how are you? It's been a while"

"Enough with the formalities. Come sit", the old woman said harshly.

The blonde sat down across from the elderly woman, with Mei sitting down right next to her.

"Oh, if it isn't Aihara Mei. What brings you here?", she raised her eyebrow in confusion.

"I've come here to watch over Yuzu as requested by her mother, my stepmother.", Mei answered firmly.

Mrs Hayato continued to look at the raven haired girl, who glared back at her, "I see…".

The room was quiet and the air felt thin as both were engaged in a staring competition. Thankfully, the tense atmosphere was halted when a bald man entered the room.

"Ah, Miyagi-sensei, I trust that you've properly educated Yuzuko in the basics of martial arts?",

The bald man nodded, "Yes Hayato-sama, in fact, I've given her more advanced lessons as she learned the basics quite quickly upon her arrival here 10 weeks ago"

"I see", Mrs Hayato raised an eyebrow as she eyed the blonde girl. "Well, why don't you show me how far you've come, Yuzuko. If your skills are indeed as great as Miyagi-sensei preaches, then I'll accept you as my granddaughter and the only heir to the Hayato clan!", the elderly woman declared.

The old man wordlessly walked out to the garden while Yuzu stood up from her seat and followed suit. Mrs Hayato and Mei also stood up to sit on the engawa to watch the fight.

The martial arts master bowed first, "It was an honour teaching you, Yuzuko-san".

Yuzu wordlessly bowed as well before taking her stance. Miyagi-sensei immediately launched a breaking side kick. The blonde was able to block it with ease, taking the chance to land a hit on his chest.

' _I heard about your fight with Junko and Jiro. You waited for them to attack first, using minimal energy to block their hits and waiting for them to tire out. That may have been a good strategy... but it won't always work, especially if your opponent has a lot of experience'_

A blow to the chest is always effective in weakening the opponent's defense. Miyagi-sensei stepped back which was the perfect opportunity for Yuzu to attack full force. She performed a roundhouse kick, managing to attack while still keeping distance between her and the old man.

As expected, the martial arts master reeled back from the heavy blows. Though the fight had just barely begun, Yuzu already felt adrenaline rush through her veins.

' _Remember, hand to hand combat usually only lasts a few minutes at most'_ , Yuzu recalled something her teacher told her. ' _Unless you have a lot of experience and built up your endurance and stamina, you can't afford to waste energy on attacks that won't hit!'_

Heeding her master's words, Yuzu decided to launch another attack with her knee. However the old man struck first, landing a teep kick directly on her sternum causing Yuzu to slouch forward in pain. He took this opportunity to land an axe kick onto her back which made the girl completely fall to the ground.

Yuzu managed to get up on her feet, still hacking and coughing in an effort to regain her breath. The old man was as merciless in training as he was in combat as he once again hit her with a snapping front kick. He continued to assault her with unrelenting kicks to the torso, pushing Yuzu back, all the while getting closer and closer to the blonde. The sickening taste of coppery blood filled her mouth and the stale sweat on her forehead only served to worsen her hazy vision.

Meanwhile, Mei sat there with a hardened expression, her fingernails digging into the skin of her knees as she watched the fight between her girlfriend and the martial arts master. She was reluctant to watch the fight but at the same time she knew that she had to be there for Yuzu.

Miyagi-sensei was now in close range with the blonde and took the chance to knock the wind out of her with a palm smash to the stomach.

' _Throwing an opponent may take up a lot of energy, but it's a good way to put distance between you'_

The old man's words resonated in Yuzu's mind. While he was still in close proximity the blonde grabbed him and threw him over her shoulder, knocking the wind out of the old man's lungs in the process.

The room was silent except for the sound of laboured breaths which made the air feel humid and suffocating. Both fighters stared at each other, trying to predict their opponent's next move.

Miyagi-sensei moved into action first, suddenly diving head first towards the young girl. Yuzu was able to successfully predict his next move, another attack with his leg, which she managed to grab a hold of while he was in mid air. The blonde did not hesitate to strike him in the face, elbowing him downwards and finally smashing her palm into his abdomen.

' _Now, listen carefully. Knife hand strikes can be_

 _very effective in bringing down an opponent but it won't work if you don't hit the exact pressure point. Learning the knife hand strike is easy enough, however, learning the exact spots where they're most effective is the tricky part'_

The old man, once again, reeled back from the blows. Before he could even catch his breath Yuzu managed to get behind him.

' _For an instant knockout a hit to the sternocleidomastoid muscle should do the trick'_

In the blink of an eye he felt a slight jab on the side of his neck. His surroundings darkened and he instantly fell to his knees.

The match was over. Yuzu bowed, "It was an honour to be taught by you, Miyagi-sensei. Thank you".

While the servants carried the elderly man away, Yuzu turned to her grandmother. Her face showed a combination of an amused and analytical expression.

' _She's come this far already even though it has only been 3 months',_ Mrs. Hayato thought. ' _She definitely has Hayato blood in her'_

"So, are my skills up to standard?", the blonde said smugly even through the pain of her sore, aching muscles.

Her difficulty to stand seemed to be apparent as Mei stood up from her seat to help Yuzu stand by wrapping her arm around her shoulder.

The older girl gave her girlfriend a smile, which was enough to express her gratitude.

Mrs Hayato sighed, "Well, it seems like you have definitely improved in your martial arts skills and Ms Izumi has told me that you've shown some academic improvement as well. With that, you have proven yourself worthy of inheriting the Hayato fortune", she smiled. "You will be the one to succeed this family!"

"Grandmother, I am honoured that you've finally accepted me as a worthy heir but I'm afraid that I can't become the next head of the clan at the moment", Yuzu bowed her head in apology.

The elderly woman was bemused at first but then started laughing, "Is this some kind of joke? Didn't you come here _because_ you wanted to be the next head; to inherit the Hayato fortune?!"

"It is true that I wanted to be the next head of this clan. But I didn't come here to inherit the Hayato Clan for power or money…", Yuzu explained calmly. "All this time I've been trying to forget… but now I know that I can't hide from the past forever! I came here because I wanted to accept and forgive myself for what happened"

Mrs Hayato was silent for a moment, her hands balled into fists, "You want to forgive yourself?! Taking my son's life… what you did was unforgivable!"

"That's the other reason why I came here. I want to ask you for forgiveness..."

The elderly woman shot up from her seat, "Have you no shame, girl?!", she was now seething.

Nonetheless, Yuzu continued, "Yes, I do. I've hated and been ashamed of myself for almost my entire life… But recently someone showed me that I don't _have_ to live like that. I realized that I don't _want_ to live like that anymore _!_ "

"...What makes you think that you _deserve_ to 'not live like that anymore'?"

"Because I feel like I owe it to dad.", Yuzu said simply. "He didn't just die from the crash. He could have saved himself, but instead he protected me"

" _Silence",_ Mrs Hayato spoke faintly.

"Dad gave his life for me and I'm sure that he'd be sad if I continued to live the rest of my life full of these toxic feelings of hatred and contempt for myself!", the blonde continued.

" _Shut up"_ , this time a bit more loudly.

"I think he'd also be sad if he saw that his mother and his daughter didn't get along-"

"Enough!", the old woman bellowed. "Get out!"

"...That's why I came here. I had to at least _try..._ ", Yuzu finally finished as she started to walk away with the help of the raven haired girl.

When they arrived at the gates they encountered Ms Izumi and a few other servants with their luggage ready to go.

"Yuzuko-san, please let us drive you home", Ms Izumi spoke spoke softly.

The blonde smiled at the offer, "Thanks, I'd really appreciate it…"

As the car left a few of the servants waved goodbye while others bowed in respect.

"So… what now?", Mei asked softly.

Yuzu shrugged, "We go home".


	11. Home

"Are you sure you're okay? I can drive you to the hospital, Yuzuko-sama", the driver asked worriedly as he took out the luggage from the trunk and handed it to the younger girl.

"Nah, it's fine. It's just a couple of bruises and I'm pretty used to Miyagi-sensei's hits at this point", Yuzu shrugged nonchalantly. "Thanks for driving us here…".

The middle aged man bowed at the blonde, "Not at all Yuzuko-sama".

He started walking towards the car before speaking once more, "Please, do visit some time. The maids will probably miss you and I'm sure that Hayato-sama will come around".

Yuzu smiled and nodded in response. After he drove away, the blonde's legs finally collapsed under her.

"Yuzu!", Mei ran to aid her immediately.

Yuzu chuckled lightheartedly, "It's alright. I'm alright. It's just the adrenaline from earlier, that's all".

The younger girl sighed in relief and helped her girlfriend to the couch. She then rushed off to retrieve the luggage left outside and grabbed an ice pack and the first aid kit on her way back.

"It feels like all I can do is tend to your wounds…", Mei sighed as she started to apply the ice pack on her stepsister's bruises.

"That's not true… you can also give me a massage", Yuzu joked lightheartedly.

Mei's eyebrow twitched, "Oh?".

"Yeah! Especially my legs-", the blonde's eyes suddenly widened in fear.

A dark atmosphere spread across the room and she regretted her words instantly.

…

Mrs Aihara opened the door. Suddenly a loud shriek sounded from the living room, followed by some laughter. A smile spread across her face when she realized it was her daughter's voice.

"Kyaa~ no! I'm ticklish!"

The middle aged woman walked towards the living room and saw Mei running her fingers over Yuzu's sides vigorously.

"Alright… stop… I can't breathe…!", the blonde said in between bouts of giggling.

Mrs Aihara waited for the giggling to settle down before speaking up, "So… how have you been for the last 2 and a half months?"

The step sisters turned their heads towards the source of the voice.

"Mom!", Yuzu ambushed the older woman and embraced her.

Mrs Aihara returned the hug. "Wow, you're arms feel so strong! Let me get a look at'cha", Yuzu's mother lifted her shirt.

The playfulness drained from her face when she spotted a bruise on her daughter's abdomen, "You're all beat up again… Are you okay?".

"Yeah", Yuzu nodded.

"Oh, good. Then could you please explain to me why you just left without telling me?!", Mrs Aihara grabbed Yuzu by the ear.

The blonde looked at her raven haired girlfriend pleadingly. ' _Please save me!'_

However, Mei got up from the couch and casually walked away from the scene. She decided to leave them be since her older step sister was beyond saving, now that her step mother has gone into 'stern mother mode'.

"I just didn't have time to think about it, so I just did what I thought was right", the girl explained sheepishly.

"I knew you were reckless… but that's a whole new level! Even for you!", she tugged at Yuzu's ear harder.

"Ow! I know. I'm sorry, okay?!"

The middle aged woman twisted her ear slightly before letting it go. Yuzu rubbed at the swollen appendage.

Mrs Aihara sighed, "Alright. I understand how you feel, but next time you have something weighing on your mind… please, talk to me first"

"...Okay"

"Now!", Yuzu's mother clapped her hands together. "What would you girls like for dinner? I'll prepare a feast since it's been so long!"

* * *

 **The next day at school**

Yuzu walked through the halls, ignoring the confused looks she was getting from the other students. She didn't have time to be bothered by them since she had to hurry before class started. Her pace quickened when she spotted the third years' classroom.

The girl knocked on the door lightly, "Excuse me, could I speak with Shiraho-senpai?"

A moment later the upperclassman walked through the doorway, her eyes widening as she saw that it was Yuzu who called for her.

"Aihara Yuzu, it has been a while. Have you come to tell me your decision?", Shiraho spoke in her usual aloof tone of voice.

The other girl nodded, "Yes… I've decided to join the martial arts club, if it's not too late?"

"Of course you can join. There was no time limit for the offer", the elder girl answered simply.

"Alright, cool! So… do I have to sign something or…?"

Suddenly the first bell rang, indicating that class would start in a few minutes.

"You can ask Aihara Mei. She's the student council president and your step sister anyway, right? I _would_ hand you the form myself but it's a bit late to get one at the moment", Shiraho explained.

"That's okay. I should hurry to class now, don't wanna be late on my first day back!", Yuzu waved before running off to her classroom.

...

While she was on the way to her classroom, she suddenly bumped into someone.

"I'm sorry! I was in a but of a hurry-"

"Yuzucchi!"

The blonde saw her brunette best friend before being tackled to the floor, "H-harumin?".

"The whole school's been talking about your return so I went looking for you. It's been so long~", she started to cry.

However, the second bell interrupted their tearful reunion.

"Oh crap. It's the second bell! We're gonna be late!", Harumi pulled Yuzu up and yanked her in the direction of their classroom. "We'll talk later, but for now we should get to class. I don't want to spend the rest of the day in detention again!"

…

"Aihara Yuzu!"

The blonde tore her gaze away from the window and tried to look as attentive as possible, "Yes sir?!"

"First you miss almost 3 months of school, then you arrive late to class on your first day back and now you're not even paying attention!, the teacher barked.

"Yes I was…", Yuzu lied.

"Oh? Then please solve this", he slammed his hand on the whiteboard.

Yuzu sighed and rolled her eyes at the sound of amused whispers and snickering in the class.

' _I wasn't paying attention 'cause Ms Izumi already taught me this stuff…',_ the blonde thought as she picked up the whiteboard marker.

The snickering ceased instantly when Yuzu started to solve the sum with ease. The only sound in the entire classroom was the squeaking of the marker against the whiteboard as whole class, except for a certain raven haired girl, was speechless. Even the teacher was stunned to silence.

Yuzu turned to the teacher when she finished solving the math problem, "Will that be all, Sensei?"

The middle aged man stumbled through his words before answering clearly, "Y-yes, that is all. You can sit back down.

As she walked back to her seat she couldn't help but smirk at her peers' bewildered expressions.

* * *

 **After school**

"Woah… So you're, like, the only heir to the Hayato Clan!", Harumi almost choked on her food.

They decided to catch up after school since Yuzu was too busy filling out the forms to join the martial arts club during their breaks. Both girls decided to hang out at a fast food restaurant.

The brunette managed to swallow her food after taking a sip of her drink, "Why didn't you tell me?!".

Yuzu scratched the back of her head, "Well, uh. It's kinda personal…".

"Oh. Okay then, I understand", she answered sheepishly.

Yuzu shrugged her shoulders, "But I'm over it now. Besides, there's something I've been meaning to ask you. Why didn't _you_ tell me that you're also part of an important family?!"

"Um, I didn't think it mattered? And I thought that if I told you, you'd start acting different around me so…", Harumi explained nonchalantly. "But anyway-"

"Yo!", the gyaru was interrupted by the sudden appearance of a pink haired girl.

"Ah, Matsuri-chan it's been so long! How are you?", Yuzu greeted happily.

The middle school student shrugged, "Same old". She sat next to the brunette, "Though I _have_ been hanging out with Taniguchi-senpai recently… But anyway, how are _you_ , Yuzu-nee?".

"I'm great!", the blonde beamed. "I actually spent a lot of time receiving the best treatment during my stay in the Hayato Estate. I was taught by the best martial artist, tutored by the best tutor, and I got the best food…"

"Wow, sounds like you've been livin' it up", Matsuri said disinterestedly as she grabbed a french fry from the plate next to her.

"Yeah, but after getting all sorts of fancy food, I've missed the tasty, cheap junk food that commoners eat!", Yuzu said jokingly as she took a big bite from her burger.

Harumi smashed her fist on the table, "Well, you must've had the world's best tutor if they managed to teach you calculus!".

Matsuri eyes lit up with sudden interest, "Really?". She pointed at Yuzu, "This girl and calculus. There's no way".

"No, really! I was surprised too!"

As Harumi went on to explain the events of what happened earlier, Yuzu felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. She checked it only to see a text message.

 **Mei:** It's getting late. You should come home.

The blonde grinned and she immediately started to type.

 **Yuzu:** What's wrong? Getting lonely? (^_-)

Yuzu took another bite from her burger as she waited for a reply.

 **Mei:** …

 **Mei:** Just come home.

 **Yuzu:** Okay, on my way home~ ( ´∀｀)

"...and then she solved the sum like it was nothing! You should've seen their faces!", Harumi burst out into laughter. "Man, it's great to have you back, Yuzucchi. I was really lonely you know? And now you're joining the martial arts club! We won't be able to hang out as often anymore…", she rested her chin against the palm of her hand.

"Yeah, I know. Sorry about that… but we can still hang out during the weekend!", Yuzu tried to console her best friend.

"Okay…"

The blonde finished the last of her meal before standing up, "Welp, I gotta go. See ya tomorrow!"

Harumi and Matsuri waved at her as she left the restaurant. The middle schooler squeezed Harumi's arm while averting eye contact with the older girl, "...I'm still here you know…"

The older girl smirked, "...I didn't know you could be so cute. You should try saying stuff like that to me more often-". She suddenly felt a small jab to her side.

* * *

Yuzu waited at the stop lights, a few cars driving by, even though it was already quite late. She let her mind wander absently until she saw the lights turn green.

The blonde walked swiftly in the direction of her home, a slight skip in her step as she started to think about her girlfriend. She was now a block away from her house and as she turned a corner she noticed a black car parked near her house.

Her giddiness dissipated and she knew straight away whose car it belonged to. The door opened as Yuzu made her way to the car. She hesitantly entered the vehicle, a familiar face greeting her.

"Hello, grandmother"


	12. Acceptance

"Hello, Yuzuko", the elderly woman greeted.

There was a moment of silence between them before Yuzu spoke, "What do you want? Why are you here?", she asked impatiently.

For the first time ever Mrs Hayato seemed to be at a loss for words. She looked down at her hands then looked back up at the blonde sitting in front of her. "I… came to apologize", she finally spoke.

Yuzu's eyebrows furrowed in confusion, "What?"

"...Perhaps it was wrong of me to blame you for all this through all these years… Especially since you were just a child", she spoke solemnly.

The girl continued to listen to the elderly woman but still maintained her hardened expression.

"What you said the other day… about your dad being sad if we didn't get along. You're right", she paused for a moment. "I think he'd definitely be disappointed in me if he saw me now. So, I've decided to try and… _mend_ our relationship". The elderly woman finally looked up at Yuzu, "That is… if you still want to try?", she asked hopefully.

Yuzu sighed, "How do you plan on 'mending our relationship'?"

"Well, after witnessing your martial arts skills first hand and hearing about your academic knowledge in history and economics, you seem to have all the requirements to take over the family business! All that's left to do is to teach you about how exactly we conduct our business…"

"So… you'll be teaching me the responsibilities of becoming the 'head of the clan'?", Yuzu crossed her arms.

Mrs Hayato clasped her hands together nervously, "Look, I know that it's not fair of me to force you into becoming the next head but… there's no one else other than you to take over".

Yuzu thought for a moment before taking a deep breath, "I'll have to think about it first"

"Of course. Take as much time as you need", Mrs Hayato gave a genuine smile and opened the door. "I'll be waiting for your answer when you're ready", she closed the door after Yuzu exited the vehicle.

The girl finally made her way to her home.

"Oh Yuzu, welcome home!", her mother greeted cheerfully. "Mei's in the shower and dinner's already gone cold 'cause you took so long to get home".

"It's fine… I already ate"

Mrs Aihara knew immediately something was wrong. She sat next to Yuzu as she was taking off her shoes on the genkan floor. "What's wrong?", she asked simply.

"Nothing…"

"Yuzu, didn't you promise me yesterday that you would talk to me when something was on your mind?", the middle aged woman tried to get her daughter to meet her eyes.

Yuzu reluctantly obliged, finally looking up at her mother, "I spoke to grandmother. She asked me to take over the clan for her"

Mrs Aihara's hands tightened into fists, "Why that old-"

"No! It's okay. It's just", Yuzu paused to think. "She genuinely apologized and asked me to spend time with her to 'repair our relationship'".

Mrs Aihara's anger was replaced with shock, "Oh… What did you say?"

"I told her I would think about it…", she trailed off.

A moment of silence passed until her mother spoke again, "And what do you think?"

Yuzu hesitantly replied, "I don't know. The last time I saw her I asked her for forgiveness but", she let out a heavy sigh, "I don't know if I've forgiven _her_ yet".

"Oh Yuzu", the middle aged woman pulled her into a hug, "No one expects you to forgive her straight away… hell, I didn't expect you to try to forgive her at all. The point is, only you can decide for yourself and you should do it in your own pace".

The other girl broke the hug off to look up at the older woman, "I want to take over the Hayato Clan… I want to accept my heritage!"

Mrs Aihara smiled, "It'll be hard you know…"

Yuzu hugged her once again, "I know"

"You'll be faced with many responsibilities, as well as difficulties", the older woman warned.

"Mhm", the blonde nodded in reply.

Mrs Aihara finally sighed in defeat, "You really are as stubborn as your father…". She grinned brightly, "You've already made up your mind so all I can do is cheer you on!".

Yuzu wiped away any stray tears from her face, "Thanks mom!"

* * *

 **The next day in school**

After submitting the form to join the martial arts club the previous day, it was approved by the student council almost immediately thanks to Shiraho's insistence of letting the blonde join as soon as possible and her affiliation with the Hayato Clan, among other things like the student council president being Yuzu's girlfriend.

However, things were not going well for the blonde martial artist. There was a lot of protest against the delinquent to join the martial arts club thanks to the fight between the beloved Suzuran Shiraho and the infamous troublemaker a few months back.

This event, as well as Yuzu's sudden disappearance soon afterwards, sparked a series of baseless rumours about the blonde.

"Ugh", the girl curled up in defeat. "Why does the school hate me so?"

Yuzu, Harumi and Suzuran decided to spend their lunch time on the roof for the time being as the ill based rumours about the blonde only worsened if she was seen with the upperclassman.

"It's... kinda your fault Yuzucchi. Beating up Shiraho-senpai and then disappearing for almost 3 months without a word afterwards was bound to set off a bunch of rumours about you", Harumi shrugged nonchalantly. "Plus, showing off your _mad_ maths skills so smugly yesterday only made them hate you more…"

"I was _not_ being smug!", Yuzu cried out in defense. "In any case, I don't get why they don't want me to join. The rumours about me can't be _that_ bad !"

"Well, the most widely believed rumour about you is that you're part of an infamous yakuza clan and that you defeated me to send 'a message' to my family", Suzuran explained. "Some rumours claim that my family went after you so you went into hiding…", she trailed off.

Yuzu grabbed the older girl by the shoulders and shook her vigorously, "Shirapon-senpai, is my life in danger? Is your family really coming after me?!", she cried desperately.

"Calm down, I already explained the situation to my family..."

' _Eh? So they really were gonna come after me?!',_ a chill ran down her spine. The girl settled down and took a deep breath, "Still, I don't know how I can put a stop to these rumours"

"Maybe you should just address them directly", the brunette suggested. "Or you should just beat them up", she mumbled quietly.

Yuzu suddenly lit up, "Harumin… that's it!"

"Eh? You're gonna beat them up?!"

"What? No! I'll just address these bad rumours directly!"

 **...**

 **After school**

Yuzu took a deep breath before entering the dojo. Shiraho had assured her that she needn't worry about any incidents that may occur but it didn't stop her from feeling nervous. Upon stepping foot on the tatami mats, she immediately received sharp looks of disdain.

Nonetheless, the girl kept walking towards the top of the room where Shiraho was standing.

The sound of whispering ceased when the president spoke up, "Alright everyone, please be quiet. This is our newest club member, Aihara Yuzu. Before we start, she has a few things to say"

Yuzu stepped forward and took another deep breath before starting, "As you all may know, I'm quite the troublemaker. I'm the student council president's step sister who doesn't always follow the rules, which sometimes causes a bit of a commotion…". "But", she paused for a moment, "I did not beat up the president to send her family 'a message', nor am I a part of a 'Yakuza family'", she air quoted.

Some looked doubtful but continued to listen.

"That's not all! Before my mother married Mei's dad, my real name was Hayato Yuzu!", she finally declared.

The club members were shocked to say the least.

" _The_ Hayato family? As in the family that specializes in martial arts?!"

"But I thought they didn't have an heir?"

Yuzu cleared her throat, "Regarding the rumours of my disappearance, I took a leave from school due to some family matters", she explained calmly. "And as you can see", the blonde wrapped her arm around Suzuran's shoulder, "Shirapon-senpai and I are buds!".

The club members stared at their president expectantly, looking for an answer.

"What she is saying is true. Yuzupon and I are indeed… 'buds'", she said the last word as if it was the most foreign word to ever leave her mouth.

The other girl nodded in agreement, "So, let's all get along from now on 'kay?"

* * *

 **After club activities**

' _That went better than expected!'_ , Yuzu thought happily as she made her way to the student council room.

After her bold yet honest introduction to the martial arts club members, they were still hesitant on letting Yuzu join the club. Some even doubted her claims of being the only heir to the 'Great Hayato Clan'. However, their disapproval of her would soon be forgotten when the blonde inadvertedly started showing off her moves while practising.

Slowly but surely, some club members started to speak to the blonde. First, a timid girl asked her how a certain move was performed without injury. Next, someone else asked for a demonstration and from then onwards, more people started to gather around her, complimenting her and even apologizing for believing the rumours.

When she arrived at her destination, she knocked on the door quietly so as not to disturb the student council.

"Mei~ you're still not done?", Yuzu whined as she entered the room.

The student council president did not look up from the stack of documents in front of her, "Yeah, but I'll be done soon"

The blonde looked over at the other student council members present, "Wow, you guys are still here? The student council sure works hard…"

"That's right, so don't distract us with your antics. Got it?", Himeko snapped.

Yuzu merely nodded in reply. She took a seat on a lone chair that was sitting in the corner and pulled out a book from her bag. ' _Might as well do homework while I'm waiting…'_

After about 20 minutes of undisturbed peace a few members started to grow uneasy. It had remained unexpectedly quiet even though they were expecting something to happen.

The pigtail haired girl decided to sneak a peek at the quiet girl in the corner. ' _Is… Is she- Is she reading a book?_ ' , Himeko squinted in the blonde's direction.

Meanwhile Yuzu, who was growing more anxious by the minute, closed her book in frustration. After the conversation she had with her mother yesterday, it never really left her mind. She spent the entire day trying to distract herself but it still continued to gnaw at her.

Yuzu reached for her phone in her bag and stood up from her seat, making her way towards the door, "Hey Mei, I know we're still in school but can I use my phone? I need to make a call…"

The student council president looked up from her work and thought for a minute before answering, "Don't let any teachers see you".

Yuzu smiled and nodded before leaving the room and closing the door behind her. She pulled out her phone and stared at the screen intently before dialing a number. It felt like an eternity until someone finally answered. "It's me", Yuzu started to walk down the hall to maintain distance from the student council room.

A nervous voice spoke from the other side of the line, "Oh, Yuzuko. H-how are you?"

The girl continued to walk and turned a corner, "I've thought long and hard about your offer yesterday"

"... So, what's your answer?", Mrs Hayato asked apprehensively.

Yuzu stopped in her tracks before speaking, "I've decided to give it a try, only on one condition though", she paused before declaring determinedly, "I want to continue living with my mother until I graduate high school. "

The voice on the other line remained quiet for a moment before chuckling and speaking again, "Okay, I don't see why not. I'll have Ms Izumi explain things in detail to you next time, Yuzuko-"

"Grandmother", the girl suddenly abruptly intervened, "Please call me Yuzu from now on".

"...Okay", the elder woman agreed.

Yuzu grinned happily, "Well, I gotta get going. I'll talk to you soon", she got ready to end the call.

"Yuzu!", the other voice suddenly shouted. "What I said about dyeing your hair… Don't. It suits you"

Before Yuzu could answer, the older woman hung up. A small smile spread on her face as she shoved the phone into her pocket and skipped towards the student council room.

"Mei~ Are you _still_ not done?"

…

The sun was already making its descent into the horizon as the two girls made their way home. During their quiet walk, Yuzu couldn't help but notice a small smile on her girlfriend's face. She poked at Mei's cheek lightly, "Hey, what're you smiling about?"

The raven haired girl smacked her finger away, her smile replaced with an annoyed expression. Yuzu chuckled at her girlfriend's reaction.

"What's wrong with me smiling?", Mei scoffed and made her annoyance apparent as she started to pout.

Yuzu continued to grin, "Nothing. It's just that you smiling like that out of nowhere is bad for my heart".

The younger girl only grew more irritated. Yuzu's cheesy pick up lines always irked her but what pissed her off more was that they actually worked on her.

Mei huffed, "Well if you must know, while you went out earlier, Himeko and the others' bewilderment at your recent behaviour was quite amusing for me", she explained. "It seems that they were surprised when you actually _didn't_ cause any trouble"

The blonde grabbed Mei's hand, "What about you? Were you surprised?"

"Hardly", she held onto Yuzu's hand, "After the last few months, I'm done with being 'surprised'".

Yuzu only laughed at that and they returned to walking in silence. The peace was short lived however, as Mei interrupted the still atmosphere, "Who… were you talking to on the phone earlier?"

The blonde girl's eyes remained on the ground as she simply answered, "My grandmother".

"I see", they continued to walk. Mei waited for Yuzu to continue.

"Actually, she came to me last night. We talked and she apologized…", she paused. "She asked me to become the next head of the family. I told her I'd think about it, so I talked to mom… I called her today to tell her my decision".

"And what did you say…?"

Yuzu finally looked up from the ground, "I told her I'd do it, that I'll be the next head of the family"

It was Mei's turn to stare at the ground, "...So, will you be moving into the Hayato Estate?"

She held her breath as she waited for Yuzu to answer.

"No. I told her that I want to continue living here", the older girl squeezed Mei's hand. "Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere"

The younger girl returned the gesture and looked at Yuzu in the eyes, "Good"


	13. Date

2 months have passed since Yuzu accepted the role of becoming the head of the Hayato family. However, at the moment she was still a novice learning the proper protocol in business affairs by accompanying her grandmother to various companies and military branches.

The first thing Mrs Hayato wanted to do was to introduce her granddaughter to the country and to her business partners. Whenever Yuzu was spotted in a public place she always ended up being surrounded by reporters and journalists. Fortunately, a few weeks after the announcement of her existence commotion finally died down a little.

Aihara Academy was also caught by storm. The rumours about the blonde martial artist disappeared almost over night after she confronted her club members with the truth. Word got around quickly and the blonde's popularity suddenly skyrocketed. If Yuzu wasn't surrounded by paparazzi in public, she was crowded by many of the students in school.

Mei was quite busy as well. The business deal that her grandfather was arranging with the Hayato family was finally made, leaving her in charge of half of her grandfather's work load.

With all that's been going on, both girls were always exhausted by the time they arrived home. The only time they really spoke to one another was in the morning before school. But after some strenuous work on both sides, Yuzu and Mei finally managed to arrange a day that they could spend together.

Surprisingly, it was the aloof younger step sister who organized their date. Being the student council president, everything was planned so intricately so there's no way anything could possibly go wrong… Right?

* * *

"Sorry, we're sold out…", the cinema clerk apologized sheepishly.

"All tickets are gone?", Mei asked, "Are there any other movies?"

"All the films have already started but you can come back in 2 hours for the next one", he suggested.

The younger girl frowned. Yuzu chuckled quietly and wrapped her arm around her girlfriend, "It's okay, Mei! We can just come back later and do something else for the time being".

Mei thought for a moment before agreeing, "I guess we could get some lunch first".

With that the girls made their way to a small restaurant across from the mall. ' _After eating we can go to that arcade place Yuzu likes_ , Mei thought

"Oh, there's no one else here. Lucky!", Yuzu sat down on a booth by the window. She opened the menu and started to contemplate on what she wanted to order.

Meanwhile Mei looked at the menu pensively without really reading the it. Her thoughts were in disarray after her schedule was ruined. ' _It's okay. One tiny slip up isn't going to ruin this day for us-'_

"Mei?"

The girl snapped out of her thoughts and looked up from the menu. "Yes?", she saw a waitress already standing by their booth.

"Are you ready to order?", the waitress asked politely.

Yuzu pointed at something on her menu, "I'll take this!"

The waitress jotted down her order on her notepad.

"I'll have whatever she's having…", Mei mumbled as she handed her the menu.

Yuzu raised an eyebrow, "Are you sure? I know you can't handle spicy foods…"

"It's fine", Mei looked out the window. "So, how are things with your grandmother?"

"It's been great! On our last trip to Tokyo I brought her to a fast food joint. It turns out she's never even _tried_ a hamburger before!", the blonde told her happily. "She was reluctant to try it but liked it in the end- Wait, do you smell that?"

Mei sniffed the air, "It smells like something's… burning!"

As if on cue, black smoke emitted from the kitchen area and the alarms started ringing. Both girls shot up from their seats.

"Help! Please, someone help!", a voice yelled from the source of the smoke.

The girls barged into the kitchen where they saw a panicked man trying to put out the fire with his apron. This seemed to only make it worse as the flames grew bigger.

' _Why aren't the sprinklers going off?!',_ Yuzu covered her mouth with her arm. "Where's the fire extinguisher?!

"W-we don't have one!", the man answered her.

After a few minutes of frantically trying to put out the fire they finally managed to extinguish it. Yuzu and Mei collapsed on the floor from exhaustion. The chef laughed heartily and scratched the back of his head, "Thanks to you girls, the restaurant didn't burn down!"

"Hey Mei, I think I've lost my appetite", Yuzu mumbled quietly.

"Yeah… me too", they both got up and started towards the exit.

"Next time you come back I'll whip up something for you, and I'll even give you a 20% discount!"

Both girls shot daggers at him, "We're _never_ coming back", they said in unison before slamming the door behind them.

* * *

' _Today has been a disaster!',_ the younger girl thought anxiously. However she tried to calm herself, ' _It's okay, we'll just move on to the arcade-'_

Yuzu and Mei stood frozen in front of their destination.

' **Closed down for maintenance'** it read on the sign.

They stood there for a good 5 minutes until Yuzu looked over at Mei, who wore an eerily unaffected expression.

"Hey, it's okay! We can go to some other place. How 'bout the mall?", the older girl tried to cheer Mei up. "C'mon", she grabbed a hold of the raven haired girl's hand and started to pull her.

Suddenly a loud rumbling sounded from the sky, followed by some lightning. As if things couldn't get any worse rain started to pour down. The girls ran for cover and both stood in awkward silence. Even the optimistic blonde couldn't think of anything to say. Without warning Mei let out a sob.

"Eh?! I-it's okay! We can take the bus!", the blonde panicked.

Even more tears started to fall down her face, "I'm sorry Yuzu… It's been awhile since we could spend time together so I was really excited for today. It was supposed to be perfect!"

"Hey… it's not your fault", Yuzu tried to console her. "I'm happy enough with what we've done today"

"...Really?", Mei, for the first time ever, looked like a small child who was being comforted by a parent.

The older girl gave her a small smile, "Yeah! I'm happy that you put so much thought into planning our first date", she gave her a peck on the forehead and Mei finally calmed down.

Just then the rain was reduced to a small drizzle, making it easier for them to run to the nearest bus stop. They decided to go home instead and hang out for the rest of the day since both of them were exhausted. The younger girl opened her bag to pull out her wallet for the bus. However, after a minute of rummaging, she huffed angrily.

"What is it?"

Mei lowered her eyes to the ground, "It seems I have forgotten my wallet at home".

"...I didn't bring mine". Yuzu suddenly burst out laughing making the other girl blush in embarrassment. "H-how were you… planning on… paying for anything?", she managed to say in between giggling.

"Sh-shut up! This is serious!", the younger girl was beginning to get flustered.

It took a few minutes but Yuzu finally calmed down. She pulled her girlfriend away from the bus stop. "Come on, I've got an idea"

After a few minutes of walking the blonde finally spotted a street musician. A look of resignation was plastered on his face as his guitar was leaning in the wall next to him. He seemed to be taking a break from being overlooked by the bustling crowd in front of him. Yuzu approached him slowly, "Excuse me sir, could I borrow your guitar for a minute?"

He looked surprised at first but nodded in agreement, "Sure, knock yourself out"

The girl thanked him, then grabbed his guitar and sat down on the small stool. Mei watched in confusion while Yuzu tuned the guitar, twisting the pegs before strumming.

At first only a few people stopped to glance at the blonde but when she started to sing the people were entranced by her voice. Even though she was only beginning to sing the chorus a large swarm of people had already surrounded her in a thick semi circle, the guitar case in front of her filling up with notes and coins fast.

 _So I'll go to you now, I've made up my mind  
I want to play you the song in my pocket_

 _I quietly turned up the volume to make sure_

 _Oh good-bye days  
I feel like things are changing now  
So long yesterday and before  
I have a clumsy tenderness by my side  
La la la la love with you_

 _I pass you one earphone  
And in that moment, it plays slowly_

 _I am I loving you right? Sometimes I get confused_

 _Oh good-bye days  
Now what's in my heart has begun to change, alright  
I have a clumsy tenderness by my side  
La la la la love with you_

 _I don't want to have sad thoughts if I can help it  
But they're bound to come, right?  
When they do, I'll smile and say  
Yeah hello! I hope I can call you  
My friend..._

 _When we sing the same song  
Be by my side, I wish  
I'm glad I found that clumsy tenderness_

 _La la la la Good-bye days_

When she finished the song with the last strum the horde that accumulated in front of her cheered, some asking for an encore. However, Yuzu stood up and turned to the owner of the guitar, "Sir, would you mind if I take some change for the bus?"

The speechless man stared for a minute before finally forming a coherent sentence, "Y-you should take all of it! _You_ earned it"

The girl laughed lightheartedly as she grabbed a few coins from the case, "It's fine, sir. Keep the rest as thank you for letting me borrow your guitar"

"Ah! Isn't that Hayato Yuzu?!", someone suddenly shouted.

"Oh my god, it is!", someone else pointed.

"Crap, I've been discovered", Yuzu lowered her hat and grabbed Mei. "Let's go!"

…

Yuzu panted as she peered over the corner. They hid in an alley after being chased by some persistent people. Thankfully, they ran past the girls.

"Whew, that was close. Alright, let's go find a bus st-mmph!", the younger girl suddenly smashed her lips against the blonde. "M-mei?", the older girl was caught off guard. "I'm not complaining but what's gotten into you all of a sudden?", she wiped her chin.

"Yuzu…", Mei couldn't find the right words to convey what she was feeling so she pulled her into another kiss. This one was slow and timid unlike the fierce kiss she gave earlier. The raven haired beauty stopped to catch her breath before speaking, "...Anything else I need to know about you? Do you have a secret twin? Are you an ex-convict?"

The blonde chuckled at the unfound accusations, "I guess I surprised you, huh?"

Mei crossed her arms, "You think?"

"I thought you told me you were 'done' with being surprised?", Yuzu air quoted.

The blushing girl scoffed and turned away, "Whatever. Let's just get to the bus stop".

Once again the older girl chuckled at her reaction. Only Yuzu ever saw this side of her girlfriend. The childish, flustered side of her was too adorable and she found that teasing her was a great way of exacting revenge from all the times Mei left her a red-faced, blubbering fool.

Yuzu and Mei stared out into the open sea.

' _Where the hell are we?'_

Both girls fell asleep while on the bus and were dropped off at the very last stop. Yuzu forced a smile in hopes of remaining optimistic and looked at the bus plan, "Th-that's okay, we'll just take the next bus-"

' _That was the last bus.',_ Yuzu rigidly turned towards her girlfriend.

This time it was Mei's turn to laugh, "Yuzu, did you anger the gods or something?", she continued to laugh.

' _Well, seeing as I'm dating my younger step sister, I'm pretty sure I'm bound to be punished by some omnipotent being…'_

The older girl smiled at the laughing girl in front of her. She couldn't help but join in and when they finally settled down Yuzu spoke, "Come on, let's go home"

Mei nodded and held her girlfriend's hand. They walked side by side, passing the time by chatting about all kinds of things. They probably walked and talked for hours until they got home. When they collapsed in their bed they realized that they were too worn out to do anything else. It felt like it had been forever since they even had a proper conversation, what with all the craziness of gaining fame and national attention in a matter of days. So they just continued talking about the most meaningless things, in hopes of making up for lost time. Without realizing it, both girls fell into a deep slumber.

* * *

 **The song Yuzu plays is 'Goodbye days' by Yui. Next chapter is the next arc for the story**


	14. Fight

' _On today's news, Fumi Tsuchiwara, CEO of Tsuchiwara Company, was found dead this morning. Police speculate that she died of natural causes. As she does not have any other family, her husband will be inheriting-'_

Yuzu turned the tv off and resumed eating her breakfast.

"Why did you turn it off? I was watching that", the younger girl sitting across from her asked irritably.

Yuzu continued to eat, "It was getting on my nerves so I turned it off", she took another bite from her toast to make a point on showing that she didn't care.

Mei glared at her and courteously got up from her seat. " _How childish_ …", she mumbled haughtily before grabbing her bag and walking out the front door.

"...What's wrong with you two? Did you get into a fight?", Mrs Aihara asked with a nervous chuckle.

Yuzu forced a smile through grit teeth, "What? Nope, not at all!", she grabbed her bag and stomped towards the entrance, "Well, I gotta go! Thanks for breakfast mom!"

* * *

 **At school**

' _What's going on with Hayato-san?'_

' _She seems to be in a bad mood…'_

Yuzu sat in her seat, elbow resting on the table while her hand supported her head. Her face showed a combination of a pensive expression and an irritable one as she looked out the window.

Her brooding was interrupted, "Hey Yuzucchi, if you keep frowning like that you'll lose all your precious fans", Harumi slumped down on her table in front of her.

" _I don't care…"_ , the blonde mumbles quietly.

The brunette raised an eyebrow, "Alright, tell me what's wrong", she straightened up in her seat.

Yuzu gave an annoyed sigh before murmuring, "...It's all _her_ fault"

It was a bit alarming to see the usual cheerful girl so upset, though she knew from past experiences that Yuzu would probably be revived as soon as she saw Mei. But this time when the student council president entered the room, Yuzu seemed to grow even more vexed. Since she figured out the root of the problem, Harumi figured that she shouldn't pry any more than she has.

When the raven haired beauty entered the classroom, she moved towards her seat with grace. However, as much as she tried to act in her usual refined manner, she couldn't help but act childish when she glanced at the blonde. Their eyes locked for a brief second before she pulled her gaze away.

' _Why should I apologize?'_ , she asked herself inwardly. ' _She's the one acting childish!'_

At this point the entire classroom was filled with a dark, heavy atmosphere. The students could feel the tension between the two step sisters, but none were foolish enough to voice the fact. They couldn't help but wonder how the two girls could get along in the first place. One was elegant and well mannered while the other was boisterous and rebellious. They were polar opposites and it was only a matter of time to see the two girls quarrel.

"Meimei?", a pig tailed girl approached her hesitantly. "Are you okay?"

Mei turned to look at the girl, " **I'm fine** ".

Without another word, Himeko withdrew from the girl and sat down in the safety of her seat in the distance.

' _That stupid Yuzu. Why hasn't she apologized yet?'_

* * *

 **After school, Yuzu POV**

Yuzu stopped her opponent's fist with the palm of her hand. She immediately went on the defensive and performed a butterfly kick. Luckily, the other girl managed to dodge it.

"Alright, that's it for now", the president of the martial arts club declared. Both girl bowed before Shiraho continued, "Thank you for the demonstration of a butterfly kick, Yuzupon"

Yuzu nodded and went back to the corner of the room where a spinning wooden dummy stood. She resumed her earlier activities attacking the dummy in an effort to forget what was weighing on her mind.

Shiraho grew worried at the girl's behaviour and approached her, "Yuzupon, is something the matter?"

The girl continued her violent actions, not turning to face the older girl behind her, "No, not at all, Shiraho-senpai"

"Is this about Aihara Mei?"

Yuzu stopped but still didn't turn around, "...Maybe"

The third year sighed, "I figured that was it. As you know, I have a habit of… observing things, people", she paused. "I tend to watch Aihara Mei the most since she's _different_ "

The blonde looked confused but didn't say anything and waited for Shiraho to continue. "You see, everyone has cracks, and through those cracks you can find out all sorts of things. But Aihara Mei doesn't have any, at least not until today". She sighed, "Today, while I was passing her in the halls, she appeared to be… sad"

Yuzu felt a sharp needle pierce through her chest for a moment.

"Whatever happened, you should apologize", Shiraho shrugged. "It doesn't suit the student council president to seem disconsolate"

The younger girl sighed heavily, "But I'm always the one apologizing…"

"That may be so but perhaps she's just not good at expressing her emotions"

Bullseye. "Yeah, that's definitely it", the blonde agreed in defeat. "But _still_! This time I'm not apologizing"

Shiraho shook her head and let out a sigh, ' _What a stubborn older step sister…'._ "Alright everyone, we're done. Make sure to get enough rest, we'll be participating in a competition soon!"

The club members bowed at their president before leaving to change out of their gi.

"Aren't you going home yet?", Shiraho asked.

"Yeah, I just remembered I forgot something in the classroom"

"Okay. Just remember what I told you about Aihara Mei", the older girl reminded before leaving.

* * *

 **Mei POV**

At the moment Mei was attending a meeting with the student council and some of the teachers. Apparently many girls had a problem with the addition of cameras around every corner as it was 'an invasion of privacy' for most of them. They were discussing other students' complaints regarding the new security system and how the school could make it more comfortable for them. At least, that's what the student council president was supposed to be doing.

"...right, President?". After no answer from the raven haired girl, Himeko tried again, "Um, Pres?"

"Huh? Oh, y-yeah", Mei snapped out of her daze. "Thank you, vice president, that will be all".

As the pigtail haired girl sat down again, the teachers took turns in voicing their opinions on the situation. However, for the life of her, Mei could not concentrate on what they were saying. She seemed to be agitated, shuffling papers in front of her every now and then, fidgeting with her fingers and shifting her gaze all over the room.

"Aihara-san!", one of the teachers suddenly snapped at her. "Please, pay attention"

The girl was stunned but regained her composure again. She cleared her throat and used her usual 'professional' manner, "I'm sorry, can we continue again next time? I'm… not feeling too well at the moment"

"O-of course, I'm sorry", the teacher who shouted at her a moment ago appeared to have felt guilty as he ushered her out of the room. "Are you sure you don't want to call your stepmother?"

Mei politely smiled, "No, I wouldn't want to trouble her at work". She bowed at the teacher before taking her leave.

' _Yuzu, this is all your fault you idiot',_ she thought angrily as she stomped down the hallway. ' _I can't think straight…'_ , she continued pacing through the halls. When she was about to put her shoes on a thought popped into her head, ' _Maybe this time… I should apologize'._

She shook her head vigorously, "No! No way, she'll definitely beg for forgiveness soon. Just like always…". The younger girl sighed in frustration, put her indoor shoes on again and started hurrying towards the martial arts club. However she found the dojo to be completely empty already.

Mei felt herself deflate from her earlier confidence. She walked towards the lockers again and put her shoes on in a resigned manner. ' _I'm the one acting childish… I was in the wrong',_ she chuckled bitterly. "I don't know how she puts up with me", she mumbled to herself. ' _She's too good for me…'_

The girl walked out of the school and started making her way home. She shook herself off and felt a sudden burst of determination, ' _No. I'll make this right. This time I'm saying sorry. I'll become a person that's good enough for her!'_

Her thoughts were abruptly cut short however, when a black car suddenly pulled up in front of her.

* * *

 **Yuzu POV**

The girl sighed as she walked down the empty hallway. The silence made it easier for her mind to wander. ' _...Maybe I should apologize. I am acting quite childish'_

When she arrived at the classroom she grabbed her forgotten book and continued to walk through the halls towards the student council room. At first she was reluctant but with each step, she took a longer knocked at the door, only to be opened by a teacher.

"Uh, sensei? What're you still doing here so late?"

"Some teachers had to attend a meeting. Why are you still here? Club activities should already be finished at this hour", the teacher said.

"I need to talk to the student council president. It's a bit urgent…", the blonde girl was starting to get impatient.

"If you're looking for your step sister, she just left. She didn't look too good… you must've missed her"

"Oh, thanks sensei!", she bowed before quickly making her way out of the school. Another feeling of guilt pierced her chest while she thought about her girlfriend. ' _I should've just made up with her this morning…'._ She ran out of the school and for a moment, her heart fluttered as she saw Mei.

Yuzu was about to call out to her until she saw a black car pull up in front of Mei. The moment she saw two masked men exit the vehicle, Yuzu raced towards them as fast as her heart was beating but it wasn't enough. They pulled her girlfriend into the car and drove away as quickly as they appeared.

She watched at the car drove off into the distance. For a moment, she felt overwhelming fear. A kind of fear that she never felt before in all her life, even when her father died. However, another emotion quickly engulfed all other emotions. Through the wrath, she managed to keep herself composed as she pulled out her phone.

While the phone was dialing she didn't move her eyes from the spot where the car disappeared into the horizon. She tried to visualize the scene again, remembering all the details; the masked men's appearance, the type of car they drove and the car's plate number.

Someone finally answers the phone.

Yuzu spoke with a calm voice that hid undeniable rage and, possibly, some bloodlust.

"I need help"


	15. Kidnapped

**Mei POV**

"Hey, wake up!"

Mei was shaken vigorously by the shoulders. At the moment, she was tied up and couldn't see anything as a bag was put over her head. The last thing she remembered was being pulled into the backseat of a car before darkness overtook her. However, right now she was stuffed in a claustrophobic space, presumably the trunk of the car. They must have drugged her while they grabbed her earlier and moved into a different car while she was unconscious.

Thankfully, she regained her vision of her surroundings when one of her kidnappers pulled the bag off of her making the situation slightly less terrifying, though her mouth was still gagged so she couldn't say anything. She immediately started to look around her. They seemed to be at an abandoned warehouse. The two masked kidnappers started to smoke a cigarette while they left her in the trunk.

' _How far away am I from the city? What will they do to me? Are they planning on killing me?',_ she started to panic inwardly but tried to keep her cool demeanor.

As if he'd read her mind one of the men spoke, "Don't worry, we didn't go through the trouble of kidnapping the granddaughter of a wealthy business man just to murder you", he explained. "However, we won't hesitate to hurt you if you try anything stupid"

The threat made her realize the reality of the situation, ' _Don't panic. I'm sure the security cameras at the gates managed to get some footage of these men…'_

A few minutes later another car arrived. The two masked men threw their cigarettes on the floor and stomped on them before approaching Mei.

"Alright, off you go with them", the girl was suddenly lifted out of the trunk and transported into the other vehicle.

' _Them? There are more of them?',_ Mei started to feel overwhelmingly anxious, to the point where she felt like she was suffocating. Being stuffed into another tight space was definitely not helping.

"The ones taking you are our employers so this is farewell", they nonchalantly waved goodbye before shutting the trunk, leaving her in complete darkness again.

* * *

 **Yuzu POV**

After the call she'd made, it only took a few minutes until a car pulled up in front of her.

"I've already contacted my men", the old man next to her reported as Yuzu sat down on the passenger seat. Aside from being a master of martial arts, he was also in charge of the Hayato's private military.

"Thank you, Miyagi-sensei"

He chuckled lightly, "You don't have to call me 'sensei' anymore, I told you already"

"Old habits die hard", Yuzu smiled, reducing her anxiousness temporarily. Her expression turned grim once more, "Contact my mom as well. Tell her that I'll be back in a few days"

"What about Aihara-san's grandfather? Should we tell him?"

She thought for a minute before reluctantly answering, "...Yes, but no press. Keep this from the public for the moment. This should be resolved in 48 hours"

The trip to the Hayato Estate was quick. When they arrived, the place looked like they'd just stepped into a military base. Soldiers marched around and it seemed like army officials were planning a strategy for the next war.

All heads turned in her direction, like a wave of intimidating authority hit them when she stepped foot into the scene. While she made her way towards the house, the bustling crowd around her seemed to have noticed the blonde's seriousness. Her previous martial arts master following close behind her. After her showdown with him it didn't take long for her to gain their respect and accept her as the inheritor of the Hayato Clan.

Some of them doubted her of course since Yuzu seemed so inexperienced upon first meeting her. They all perceived her as an effervescent and boisterous young girl but her current hard exterior made their lack of faith in her disappear almost instantly. People started scurrying towards her, ready to report the latest from their sources.

"We need you to confirm the appearance of the car", a middle aged woman showed her two photographs of similar but different cars. Yuzu pointed at the picture of the car that she'd engraved into her memory. The woman gave a small nod before scampering off into the moving mass of people.

A man with a hardened expression approached her this time, "The car has been found abandoned near the outskirts of the city, but there is no sign of the hostage".

"Here's the map of the route the car took before they used a different one", another woman, this time with glasses, handed her the map which Yuzu carefully looked over, though she didn't stop moving. She gave a quick nod before finally making it indoors where she was lead by a few familiar faces to the room where most of the planning was happening.

The girl gave the servants a quick thanks before they left, leaving her to discuss the current dilemma with her grandmother/mentor, as well as other people who seemed to specialize in these sorts of situations.

"So, have we found out the reason why they took Mei as a hostage yet?", Yuzu asked calmly.

One of the officials spoke up, "We think that it may be for ransom due to Aihara-san's family background but nothing has been confirmed as they haven't demanded any money yet"

A man suddenly burst into the room, "We've been contacted by the kidnappers", he immediately handed the note to Mrs Hayato.

"We only want Hayato Yuzu. Come alone. If you are accompanied by anyone Aihara Mei will be killed without hesitation", Mrs Hayato finished with reading the address.

The others in the room promptly sought to look for the address the note stated. Meanwhile Yuzu was in deep thought. There were obvious flaws in her stoic expression as the fear in her eyes were visible. "I'll go", she declared stunning the people in the room.

"Yuzu, it's too dangerous. We simply cannot risk it", Mrs Hayato warned.

"It's not your decision to make"

Just as the old woman was about to protest, Miyagi spoke up, "There's no need. Our informers have found the men responsible for kidnapping Aihara Mei"

For a moment the girl's heart lightened up but it was still too early to celebrate, "Where are they?"

"They were sighted near an abandoned warehouse near the outskirts of the city. Our men are working on seizing them as we speak"

* * *

 **Mei POV**

Everytime she opened her eyes it seemed like she was in a different place from when she last saw her surroundings. Because this time she found herself in a small storage space. Her hands and legs were still tied together but at least they removed the gag, making it possible for her to at least speak again.

"We do apologize sincerely, Aihara-san", one of the 'employers' of her kidnappers entered the room shortly after she woke up. "We didn't mean for this to involve you"

Mei gave him a confused look, choosing to remain silent and instead waiting for the man to continue.

"Don't you remember us?", he gestured at himself and his partner.

The girl squinted in an effort to see better. Being cramped up in small, dark spaces has probably affected her vision. She looked at him more closely, spotting a bent nose that didn't heal well. Her eyes widened as the realization finally struck her.

"That's right. We're the bodyguards Mrs Hayato brought on the day she visited Aihara Academy", he bowed mockingly, "I'm Junko". Then he pointed at the man with the crooked nose, "This is my brother, Jiro".

Her face grimaced at the revelation, ' _These are the men that beat up Yuzu, or rather Yuzu beat them',_ she smirked slightly at the memory. ' _But still, that doesn't explain why they would hire people to kidnap me'._ After a moment of thought she frowned and gave the men a heated look. "So what, you want to get back at her for beating you?"

Junko wove his hands frantically in denial, "Woah, easy there! We don't have anything against her. In fact, I personally felt honoured to spar with such a talented martial artist, though I can't say the same for Jiro…", he explained nonchalantly, his brother behind him annoyed at his last statement.

"But, we _do_ have something against Mrs Hayato", Jiro started to approach her slowly. "You see, after our little 'spar' with Yuzuko-san, Mrs Hayato decided to fire us", he punched the wall to show his frustration. "My brother and I dedicated our entire lives to the Hayato Clan, just as our parents did… and yet they did not hesitate to kick us out after being beaten by that bitch!"

"So, as you can see, our problem is not with Yuzuko-san but rather Mrs Hayato", Junko spoke again.

Mei relaxed at his reassurance, breathing a sigh of relief. But it was short lived as he spoke again, her blood running cold at his next statement.

"However", the atmosphere grew more sinister as his friendly facade started to crumble, "In order to exact our revenge, we must kill Yuzuko-san"

* * *

 **Yuzu POV**

It didn't take long before the men responsible for abducting Mei were captured and unmasked. They were immediately brought into a room, leaving them with Mrs Hayato, Miyagi and the blonde girl for interrogation. Luckily, whoever planned on the kidnapping of Mei, wasn't very good at choosing their employees as the men were quite careless in their endeavours. After the men collected their payment for the deed they were stupid enough to return to the car they ditched outside the city.

Yuzu was ready to authorize any necessary interrogation methods to find out where Mei was, "Where is Aihara Mei?", she asked as temperately as she could.

Fortunately, the terrified men were ready to give them any information they had, revealing the location of the abandoned warehouse where they handed the girl over to their employers. A search team was promptly dispatched to track the car that took Mei from the abandoned warehouse on. But that still left a few questions.

"Who are your 'employers'?!", Miyagi asked menacingly.

"W-we don't know! They never gave us their names. We just did what we were told and got paid for it so we never really ask questions"

Yuzu huffed, growing impatient, "Then describe them! Did any one of them have any significant features?"

The man in questioning thought for a minute before hesitantly saying something, "...One of them had a crooked nose… like someone broke it and it never healed properly…?"

The three interrogators' eyes widened immediately upon recognizing the description of one of the men. Without another word Yuzu left the interrogation room and made her way to the conference room again with her grandmother following behind her.

"Put them behind bars", Miyagi ordered before also following the young girl.

"It's those bodyguards you brought when you visited Aihara Academy… I've been wondering where they were but I never got a chance to ask you", Yuzu mumbled quietly. She sighed heavily before continuing, "I don't understand. Why are they doing this? What do they gain from it?"

The old woman was reluctant to answer, "...After I made up my mind about you becoming the next head they planned on assassinating you in order to take control of the clan. They thought that, since they dedicated their lives to this clan and served me through all these years, that I would appoint one of them the new head of the clan", she explained.

"So that's why they want me to come alone", the girl put her hand under her chin in thought, "They want to _kill_ me so that there's no one left to succeed the family"


	16. Meeting

**Yuzu POV**

It was already 3 in the morning but the entire building was still as busy as when Yuzu had arrived. "How's the search going?", she was still waiting for any news from the search team that was dispatched a few hours ago.

"We've managed to track the car that took Aihara Mei. It was left at an old, abandoned office. Our teams searched the entire building but it seems like they've already left", someone reported.

Yuzu couldn't help but hit the wall in frustration, her patience was starting to run low. The people in the room, except for Mrs Hayato and Miyagi, flinched at her reaction. However, she took a deep breath in an effort to recollect herself before shaking herself off and clearing her throat, "Any clue as to where they've gone?"

The informers were reluctant to answer her for fear of receiving the same treatment as the wall, which now had a hole in it. "They've left a note", only Mrs Hayato was able to answer her while looking at her in the eye. She handed the note to her granddaughter who scrunched it up immediately after reading it.

Yuzu huffed, "It says I should go to the meeting place. _Alone._ It's their 'last warning' or else they'll-", she didn't finish her sentence as she grit her teeth in hopes of trying to remain calm.

"So what are you going to do?", Miyagi asked worriedly.

The girl seemed to be in deep thought until she muttered something to herself, "...something's not adding up…".

Though it was barely coherent Miyagi was able to catch what she said. "What do you mean?"

"I mean", she spoke louder, "these brothers, Junko and Jiro, wouldn't they be more experienced at something like this?". She furrowed her eyebrows before elaborating, "If they've served grandmother through all these years they would definitely have hired professionals to kidnap Mei".

"That's true… these men were quite quick to confess and give us any information we needed", Mrs Hayato nodded in agreement. "So that means either those two brothers are idiots or there's someone else involved…"

"The men who kidnapped Mei were paid by the brothers _but_ someone else hired them. Either that person isn't experienced in these types of situations or he _wanted_ them to talk", Miyagi asserted confidently. "But who…?"

Yuzu let out a deep breath, "...I think I may know", she said with slight uncertainty.

* * *

 **Mei POV**

"Man, that was close. They almost found you! Good thing we got outta there when we did. Otherwise, your step sister's people would have found us and we wouldn't be able to get our revenge!", Junko said in a jaunty tone which made Mei feel both hopeless and and furious. After they hurriedly left they didn't have enough time to drug her so she remained awake for the trip. However, they had to tie a gag around her mouth once more as she started to yell for help when she saw a bright flash of light from outside the back window as they drove away. She was so close to getting found. No, _Yuzu_ was so close to finding _her._

"You'll be staying here", Jiro presented the building excitedly.

Mei analyzed the structure and for a place that's supposed to keep her hostage, it was surprisingly not abandoned. In fact, it looked like a company office building.

' _But… why here?',_ she looked at the building once again, spotting the big letters across the top of the building; 'Tsuchiwara Company'.

"I know, it's not like you'd expect. But someone's been very eager to see you and he's actually the one who gave us the opportunity of getting revenge on the clan", Junko explained. Mei was suddenly lifted and struggled as they stuffed her into a burlap bag. After a few minutes of resistance she finally gave up and one of them hoisted her up on their shoulder before carrying her into the company.

' _Yes, no one will suspect a thing when two suspicious men carry a huge burlap bag into a modern office building in the middle of the night'._ Sure, it was still dark but there _had_ to be a few CCTV cameras around the place. Especially since Tsuchiwara Company was surrounded by many other buildings.

Mei had to remain optimistic. She couldn't lose hope because she knew that Yuzu would never stop searching for her. Although, deep in her heart she hoped that Yuzu would get as far away from here as possible. Mei was definitely terrified, but the thought of someone going after her girlfriend was even more terrifying.

Her thoughts were interrupted when she was thrown on the ground and violently pulled out of the bag. It took a minute for her eyes to get used to the dark but after several blinks she saw that she was currently in a windowless prison cell,

' _What kind of company has a prison cell?!'_

"Alright, we should be okay here", it was too dark to differentiate who spoke. "Make yourself comfortable, the boss will see you tomorrow morning", one of them took off her restraints and untied the cloth around her mouth before locking the jail door behind them.

* * *

 **Yuzu POV**

A tense atmosphere set in the room as they all waited for more news. Everyone was exhausted and stressed due to being awake all night but thankfully it didn't take long for one of their informants to rush back into the room, "We've managed to track them down. It's just as Yuzu-sama thought"

All the others in the room were speechless, including Mrs Hayato and Miyagi. "So should I order my men to infiltrate Tsuchiwara Company?", Miyagi snapped out of his bewildered daze.

Yuzu shook her head in reply, remaining silent as she put her hand under her chin in thought. "No… send them to the meeting place. You go with them. If their working for someone they won't hurt Mei without his permission so they won't bring her to the meeting place", she induced.

* * *

 **The next morning**

Mei woke up to the loud, creaking sound of the rusty jail door opening. "Rise and shine!", she was almost blinded by the brightness that was emitting from the door. Despite having been unconscious several times last night she still felt exhausted.

"Come on, get up. The boss is here", they lead her to an elevator which they rode to the highest floor. She spent most of her time last night thinking about who this 'boss' person might be. Who, other than these two, had a problem with the Hayatos? From what she learned, Yuzu's family provided protection and safety, especially to companies like this one.

"Okay, this is where we're leaving you", Junko waved as he and his brother stayed in the elevator.

Now, Mei was left alone right outside the doors to the person who's behind all this. She took a deep breath before entering the room. Realization instantly struck her. Things made so much more sense when she finally met the person behind all this. The man in front of her smiled, "Hello, Aihara-san. It's been a while"

* * *

 **Meanwhile at the meeting place**

Just as the young girl had predicted, only the two brothers showed up. The meeting place was located near the old office building during the day. At Yuzu's request, Miyagi only brought a small group of his men so as not to make huge scene, even if it was in the middle of nowhere. " _Besides, as a martial arts master, those two should be a piece of cake for you",_ Miyagi smirked as he remembered what his former student told him. "Make sure to leave them both alive", he ordered his men, "Yuzu-sama does not want any unnecessary casualties. _Even if they deserve it_ ", he mumbled the last sentence before leaving the car.

"Miyagi-sensei!", Junko shouted almost expectantly as the old man neared them.

Miyagi kept his grim expression, ignoring his former student's enthusiasm, "I'm not your sensei. Not anymore".

The young man feigned a hurt expression, "Don't be so cold! We haven't seen each other since… hmm I can't remember. Oh yeah,", he clapped his hands, "since Mrs Hayato fired us". His false cheerfulness started to crack.

Miyagi remained stoic, "She only fired you because you were planning on taking over the Clan"

"The Clan would've been better off with us in charge… instead of that blonde bitch", Jiro finally spoke.

Miyagi chuckled lightly, "That blonde 'bitch' has gained everyone's trust and respect including mine in less than 3 months. She also managed to learn 127 styles of martial arts and beat me after only 3 months of training"

Both brothers glanced at each other before making the first move. The old man dodged their attacks with ease, "What's wrong? Did I hit a nerve?".

* * *

 **Mei POV**

Mei didn't reply, choosing to keep quiet as she stared down her former teacher and ex-fiance.

Amemiya continued to wear his cocky expression as he walked towards her, "Come on, don't wear such a hateful expression. I won't do anything to you", he started caressing the girl's cheek softly. "Though, I _can_ make an exception-"

Mei made her answer perfectly clear by spitting at him and remaining silent. He scoffed as he wiped the spit off his face, his friendly attitude changing to an ominous one. However, Mei did not falter under his menacing gaze and continued to stare at him directly in the eyes. Amemiya's expression suddenly changed to a smile. He grabbed her and forcefully pushed her onto a chair, "Your lover will die today". Mei's eyes widened but she didn't speak.

"That's right, I know about you two", he sat down on his desk in front of Mei, "To be honest, it was quite unexpected. I only had my eyes on your step sister since she's the one I'm after". He paused before continuing, "But this is great! See, I was actually unsure about _how_ I was gonna lure her in… and that's why you're here. In fact, my employees are on their way to her right now-"

"Yuzu already defeated them once, she'll beat them again", Mei spoke intently. Amemiya frowned at her conviction. "She'll beat you too. She'll save me again from you and you _will_ lose", she firmly declared.

* * *

 **Miyagi POV**

Despite the brothers' arrogant and over confident attitude from earlier, it didn't take long for Miyagi to defeat them. To be honest he didn't need any reinforcements but he agreed to bring some of his men anyway as per Yuzu's request. They did, however, make excellent assistants in cleaning up the mess he'd made and restraining his targets after defeating them.

"This… this isn't over yet!", Jiro threatened as he was being pulled into the van. His brother attempted to do the same but only slurred words came out of his mouth. His jaw was broken by Miyagi, leaving him unable to move his mouth properly.

"You guys have no idea who you're dealing with… and we have friends. Powerful friends that are connected to the black market and with the yakuza!", it was hard to take him seriously as he slid away from his brother, who was currently drooling due to the inability of closing his mouth. "Plus, you won't be able to find Aihara Mei without us-"

His barking was interrupted by a phone ringing. Miyagi answered it and after a moment he hung up. "Actually", Miyagi smirked, "Yuzu-sama managed to figure out who you've been working for and where you've been keeping her. She sent us to follow you from Tsuchiwara Company to the meeting place and she's retrieving Aihara-san by herself as we speak"

* * *

 **Yuzu POV**

Yuzu hung up her phone and turned to her grandmother, "He's on his way with the brothers".

"Okay", Mrs Hayato nodded in acknowledgement, "Are you sure you want to go alone?", she asked worriedly.

"Yeah, I can take him on by myself. Besides, it'll just cause a huge commotion if I bring a dozen armed men into an office building in the middle of the day"

The old woman sighed before reluctantly handing her a pill, which Yuzu wordlessly took.

"Will this really work?", Mrs Hayato asked nervously.

The blonde looked at her, resolve apparent in her eyes, "I'll be fine, grandmother", she smiled before leaving the car and making her way to the towering building.

* * *

 **I know that learning '127 styles of martial arts' in less than a year is unrealistic... but it's my fanfic so I'll do whatever I want :P (also it's a reference to batman)**


	17. Poison

**The reason I was able to update so fast is because I've already posted this chapters on ao3. This is the latest chapter I've written and writing a new chapter takes about a week. That being said, the next chapter should be up on Friday (Sunday at the latest because I have school stuff to do). Anyway, please be patient and enjoy!** ( ´ ▽ ` )ﾉ

* * *

"Tch", Amemiya watched as the blonde entered the building from below. "So they really couldn't beat her…"

Mei was quick to notice his agitation, smirking as he started to pace around the room. "I told you they wouldn't be able to beat her. It's only matter or time before-"

She suddenly felt a sharp sting on her cheek, a split on her lip has caused a small amount of blood to trickle down her chin. "Shut up", Amemiya took his seat on his desk again and took a deep breath in order to calm himself. He tightened his tie and cleared his throat before speaking, "Well, I expected them to fail anyway. But after I found out about that bitch's heritage it would have been more convenient if they handled it though… Would have saved me the energy and time to clean up, plus, they would be the ones put in jail for murder"

"Yuzu won't die from the likes of you", Mei spat.

Amemiya smirked and pulled something out of his desk drawer. He gleefully presented a small vial to her, "She will with this. No matter how strong she is, this will definitely kill her". He placed the small glass tube on his desk carefully before continuing, "It's a lethal gas I created that causes death within 5 minutes of inhalation. What makes it special is that it leaves no traces during an autopsy, making it seem as though the person died of natural causes"

Mei stared at it in fear of its purpose, "Y-you won't get away with this. Yuzu's family will definitely know it was you!"

Amemiya shrugged his shoulders blithely, "Sure they'll _know_ after this but they won't be able to find me. Not with my connections, especially when I start selling this on the blackmarket!". He glanced at his monitor which showed all of the building's cameras, "Looks like she's almost here…"

Mei's body tensed up, ' _...No, she's here?!'._ Her mouth felt dry and her heart started to beat faster. " **Yuzu don't come in here!** ", she screamed at the top of her lungs. " **Please don't come in-** "

Amemiya tied a piece of cloth around her mouth, preventing her from speaking anymore. He pushed the chair into a small room next to his desk, "We can't have you spoiling the surprise now can we?", he said in a taunting manner before shutting the door.

As Mei sat in the dimly lit room contemplating the situation for the hundredth time she stared at the floor pensively.

 _ **Flashback:**_

 _Yuzu huffed as she looked at the floor that was littered with heaps of letters. They burst out of her shoe locker right when she opened it. 'Again?', she thought as she rubbed the back of her head in annoyance. This was starting to get problematic._

 _About 3 weeks ago, after her date with Mei, another rumour started in their school. Word got out that Hayato Yuzu, the new 'prince' of Aihara Academy, was gay and had gone on a date with another girl. However, the identity of the girl was unknown and the blonde had not confirmed that she had a girlfriend. As a result, the girls in the school got their hopes up and started confessing and sending love letters to Yuzu._

 _So maybe it wasn't a rumour since she really did go on a date with her girlfriend but thinking about it, she never thought of herself as 'gay'. In fact, before she met Mei, Yuzu was dead set on getting a boyfriend. But things change. People change, including Yuzu and especially Mei, who had learned to open up and start giving her love and affection to the people she cared for. However, she was still learning how to_ _ **show**_ _it._

 _Aside from being exhausted from the combined school work and club activities (not to mention the trips all over Japan to learn about the different companies and CEO's that she'll be working with in the future), she now also had to deal with rejecting the people who were confessing to her. Not only that, Mei has reverted back to her old self lately. She'd been acting cold and distant again. Yuzu suspected that the sudden bombardment of confessions were starting to bother Mei. Sure, Yuzu loved her tsundere side but her indifference was starting to worry her. It wasn't that Mei didn't trust her, but it still made her feel uneasy; like she was unworthy of her._

 _The martial artist picked up the letters and shuffled through them. As troublesome as the situation may be, Yuzu still wanted to answer them truthfully. Even if it meant that she had to reject at least a dozen girls every day. 'I already like someone', she would say after a confession and when they still wouldn't give up the situation would only get more complicated. It would be so much easier if she could just tell everyone that she was already dating someone but that would only create more trouble for Mei. It would only be a matter of time before someone figured out that the one she was dating was none other than the student council president, who also happened to be her younger step sister._

' _I'll read them tomorrow. I'm too tired for today', just as Yuzu was about to cram the letters into her bag she noticed another note on the ground. 'Must've missed this', she picked up the piece of paper. This was unlike the other ones as the other letters were neatly placed into an envelope, whereas this one was just a small card._

' _Come to our classroom after your club activities', it said. 'I'll be waiting'_

 _Yuzu rubbed both her eyes with her index finger and thumb. She was really tired and would have preferred to get some early shut eye for the day, especially since her grandmother's been on her case lately (something about a nearby company's CEO's husband being involved with the underground market). On the other hand, she didn't want to be a jerk and leave the anonymous girl to wait there for god knows how long. The decision was made apparent with a heavy sigh as she started walking towards her classroom._

 _As expected, it was another confession. However, this one got slightly out of hand. Consumed in all her heavy thoughts and fatigue, Yuzu was caught off guard when the confessing girl suddenly kissed her. Little did she know, in that moment Mei happened to pass by the classroom to retrieve something she'd forgotten. That's how it all began. After Yuzu pushed the other girl away she started to resolutely explain that she already had a girlfriend. Enough was enough and she wanted to make it clear that her heart already belonged to someone._

 _However, Mei had already left the scene, missing Yuzu's fierce statement. If only she'd stayed for just another minute, perhaps they wouldn't have gotten into a fight in the first place. But she didn't and things escalated from then on._

* * *

 **Yuzu POV**

Yuzu entered the building with unexpected ease. Despite the building being empty the doors were all unlocked. Nevertheless, she quickly made her way to the highest floor where she'd anticipated Amemiya would be. Just as she stepped out of the elevator she heard a muffled voice yell, "...zu don't… here…! Please don't… in". As soon as she realized it was Mei's voice she immediately barged into the room.

"What took you so long?", Amemiya stood in front of his desk, his hands locked together behind his back.

The blonde girl wasn't in the mood to entertain him, "Where is she", she demanded, barely containing herself at this point.

Even Amemiya wavered for a moment. He attempted to hide his apprehension with false composure by smiling arrogantly and gesturing to the door next to him. Yuzu eyed her surroundings cautiously, she was certain that he was planning something but it didn't stop her from complying and entering the room. The door instantly shut behind her but she didn't care. Her breath stopped in her throat for a second when she finally saw Mei, immediately noticing the indication of physical abuse on her girlfriend's swollen cheek. Without delay she was by her side, caressing her cheek and asking if she was okay.

" **Mmm!** ", Yuzu could not decipher what she was trying to say but the alarmed look on Mei's face and the vigorous shaking of her head immediately told her something was wrong. She untied the cloth around the other girl's mouth.

"Yuzu you have to get out of here, now!", Mei shouted as soon as she was able to speak.

"Calm down! It's okay-", the older girl was interrupted by Amemiya's aggravating voice, "I'd hate to interrupt this heartwarming reunion but we need to get a move on!".

Yuzu's eyes moved around the room rapidly, trying to find the source of the sound. The room was quite dark, making it easier to spot the small red light blinking from the corner of the ceiling. Looking closer, she realized that it was a camera. Smoke suddenly started to emit from a small vent next to the camera, creating a soft hissing noise.

"Yuzu, this gas is fatal to anyone who breathes it", Mei explained frantically.

The older girl turned to the door and started attempting to break it down. However, from the first hit she knew that it would be impossible to break the door down with her bare fists.

"Do you like the door? I made sure that it's unbreakable with your hands alone. But don't worry, I've left you a little gift. Check the box behind the chair", Amemiya sounded all too eager.

Yuzu opened the box reluctantly and stared hard at its contents. The box contained a single gas mask. She continued to stare at it then looked at Mei with a small smile. The younger girl was confused at first but one look at the other girl made her realize her intentions, "Yuzu. No.", she tried to sound adamant but the cracking in her voice made her sound more desperate. Yuzu wordlessly started to place it on the other girl's face, "It'll be okay"

"No, don't you dare, Yuzu!", her words barely coherent as they were slightly muffled while she wore the gas mask. Mei continued to struggle, ignoring the pain of the ropes digging into her wrists and ankles. She couldn't do anything except watch helplessly through the hazy lenses of the gas mask as Yuzu started coughing violently. Until finally, after a minute, her hacking and wheezing settled down and she lay on the floor, unmoving.

 _ **Flashback:**_

 _When Yuzu got home she was ready to collapse on anything soft for her to sleep in, a huge migraine had set after the incident._

" _Yuzu, did anything happen today?", Mei tried to ask as calmly as she could._

 _The older girl hesitated before answering, "No, nothing in particular". Mei hadn't initiated a conversation for a while so Yuzu didn't want to increase her anxiety by telling her that she was just unwillingly kissed by some girl._

" _ **Liar**_ " _, Mei said in a quivering, low voice, her jet black bangs covering her face._

" _Huh?"_

" _I saw you kissing someone!", the girl snapped._

 _Yuzu shot up from the bed, frantically trying to explain, "I was caught off guard! I pushed her away as soon as I realized she was kissing me!". She was wary of getting close to the other girl, "I didn't want to worry you even more than you already are. I know it's been bothering you… you've been acting so distant lately"_

 _Mei turned to Yuzu, "Me, distant?_ _ **You're**_ _the one being distant! Talking to all those girls and now_ _ **kissing**_ _them. What's even worse is that you_ _ **lied**_ _to me", jealousy, anger and fear all mixing into one. "Maybe you should just go out with her…", she mumbled quietly but loud enough for the other girl to hear._

" _What?", Yuzu's guilt was replaced by all her other emotions which turned into anger. All her efforts to balance her school, family and love life was starting to fall apart. She had to keep up her grades in school, learn to become a good leader for her clan and had to keep her relationship with Mei a secret. "I was trying to protect you. That's why I've been enduring all this myself so then you wouldn't have to…!"_

 _Mei stepped back, but instead of admitting her regret for her previous comment, her unwillingness to apologize got the better of her, "...If you were really trying to protect me then you shouldn't have lied in the first place"_

 _The rest of the day was spent blaming each other for any faults the other one had. Until finally they both ended the discussion without really resolving it, both girls too stubborn to apologize. Yuzu spent the night sleeping on the couch while Mei stayed in their room._

Mei snapped out of her thoughts. Why did she have to remember their stupid fight now, out of all times?

"I'm sorry", the girl spoke in a weak voice, "I-If only I'd apologized at the time… then maybe none of this would have happened!". She continued to stare at the motionless body in front of her, expecting her to get up any second now.

"...Yuzu…?"


	18. Showdown

**Omg this took me way longer than expected but who cares, next (and extra long) chapter! Yay! Ｏ(≧∇≦)Ｏ**

* * *

"...Yuzu…?"

Time stood still for Mei, in fact, the concept of time no longer existed for her. Everything in the world moves and once something is moved it can't go back to the way it was. That 'movement' or 'change' is irreversible so time can only move forward, progressing into the future. But how can the world keep moving, now that Yuzu was no longer part of that world? To Mei, time had no meaning anymore, life was pointless.

As Mei's world stood still, she didn't notice the gas clear up from the air and the door creaking open, "Women are all so naive. That's what makes it so easy to manipulate them. Because once they're in love they'll devote everything to that person, even if it means giving up their own life", Amemiya walked in, wearing an all too happy expression. He let out a delighted chuckle, "That's how I managed to climb to the top again, actually. I married into this company for the sole purpose of inheriting the money".

"...You… from the news. You killed your own wife?"

"Well, I needed to test out the gas so what better candidate than the person that I was trying to get rid of to get all the money in the first place?", he started making his way towards Yuzu. "Man, I've been waiting for this for so long", he started to nudge the blonde with his foot.

" **Don't touch her!** ", Mei almost growled through grit teeth.

Her reaction only seemed to amuse him. "You know, it was really hard for me. After our engagement was cut off I lost everything. Money, Power, Respect… all thanks to this- _bitch_ ,", he emphasized the last word by swinging his leg and kicking Yuzu's side. "You. _Humiliated_. Me!", he continued to kick Yuzu with each word.

Mei was never the type of person who would use profanities but seeing him physically abuse Yuzu's already inert body made her anguish turn to anger and hostility. She started cursing him, yelling obscenities at him but Amemiya merely gave her a sneer as he tightened his tie and stepped away from Yuzu. His reaction made her fall into despair once more as she recognized the situation; that she was powerless.

"You should be grateful that I gave her a quick and painless death", his words no longer affected the girl. Seeing as she was too defeated to even acknowledge his presence anymore, he deemed it safe enough to untie her from the chair. It was both an act of mercy and cruelty. Mei crumpled to the floor and held onto Yuzu's limp hand, holding the appendage close to her and kissing it as she sobbed.

"Alright, come on. Get up", Amemiya said impatiently. He started pulling her arm but Mei wouldn't budge. Without warning, she managed to strike him in the face. He reeled back from the impact of her fist, his hand covering his nose in an attempt to stop any more red fluid from flowing out. The startled man looked at his bloody hand, then at Mei, his surprised expression turning into an enraged one. "You bitch…! I wasn't going to do anything to you, but now…", he started stomping towards her, "You know what I'm gonna do? I'll sell you to the worst people in the black market. They'll sell your organs!". He grabbed her by the chin and whispered maliciously, " _Or_ they'll sell you to the lowest **brothel** in the underground-"

Amemiya was sent flying across the room. "Don't _touch_ her", a familiar voice spoke from behind Mei. She slowly turned around, the slumped blonde on the floor from earlier was now standing tall, currently in a fighting stance. Yuzu turned to a speechless Mei.

The emotions she felt could not be conveyed by her expressions. What does one feel when their most treasured person dies and then comes back to life in a matter of minutes? Bewilderment, disbelief, elation and relief all at the same time. Yuzu bent down and gently pulled the girl up from the ground, wiping away her tears and giving her a reassuring smile.

"H-how?", Amemiya looked like he just saw a ghost. He was too petrified to even get up. "I saw the gas affect you! I-it should have killed you!"

Yuzu was reluctant to steer her gaze away from her girlfriend but turned to the terrified man behind her nonetheless, "Actually, I _was_ affected by the gas, that's why I lost consciousness for a minute there", she explained with a shrug. "But I wasn't affected enough for it to be fatal thanks to this", she held up a small prescription bottle filled with a few red and white pills. The confused look on his face urged her continue, "I took one before coming here and I brought these for Mei but you were kind enough to provide a gas mask for her so I didn't need to give one to her", she explained nonchalantly.

Amemiya stared at the pill bottle, "An antidote? But how did you even know about the gas?!", he cried disbelievingly.

"Well, ever since you married Fumi Tsuchiwara I had some people watch you. Given your... history with engagements and marriages we were suspicious of your intentions. I knew that an egotistical person like you would plan on getting revenge ", Yuzu paused solemnly before continuing. "Unfortunately, we were too late and Miss Tsuchiwara died shortly after we gained intel of you creating this 'lethal gas'. But thankfully, our team of doctors and scientists managed to neutralise the poison and create an antidote for your gas shortly after you kidnapped Mei".

Amemiya was left dumbstruck until he started chuckling. His low chuckling gradually turning into maniacal cackling. "If my poison didn't kill you… then this surely will!", he suddenly pulls out a gun and points it directly at the blonde. A loud bang echoes in the room and jet black hair flashes in front of Yuzu's eyes. In the blink of an eye the firearm breaks as it smashes against the wall. " **Stop, Yuzu!** ", another second later and Amemiya would have been in the same state as the gun; shattered and broken on the floor.

"Huh?", Yuzu blinks again and realizes that someone is embracing her from behind. Arms desperately clinging onto her, one arm slung over her shoulder and the other one on her stomach. The blonde turns her head over her shoulder and sees a red line expanding in size and spreading onto the student council armband.

"I'm okay. The bullet only grazed my arm so please, stop…"

Yuzu blinks a third time and feels her stiff body loosen up. She breathes a sigh of relief as she realizes that the world didn't end. Yuzy grasps Mei's hand, she kisses it with tenderness and shudders while still facing forward. "...You're shoulder's bleeding…", the older girl pointed out before pulling out a walkie-talkie. Yuzu glanced at the man in front of her. He was reduced to a curled up ball on the floor, his hands covering his face, "Send them in… and call an ambulance. The hostage is injured"

When both girls exited the car they were immediately ambushed by their mother, Mei wincing slightly due to her injured arm. Even Mei's grandfather, a generally stoic and impassive man, hugged his granddaughter tightly. He also hugged Yuzu, a very uncharacteristic action, to show her his gratitude for saving Mei.

After leaving the Tsuchiwara company building, Mei was promptly pulled into the ambulance to be treated whilst being interviewed as a victim of kidnapping, so she didn't really get a chance to talk to the blonde yet. Actually, she found it quite hard to speak to her after Amemiya was arrested as Yuzu was too busy ordering and reporting to people Mei didn't recognize. She found herself growing irritated as even now when they'd arrived at the Hayato mansion, she still found it difficult to approach her preoccupied girlfriend and her authoritative presence.

"Ow! What was that for?!", Yuzu cried out as she rubbed her arm. Mei snapped out of her daze and realized that she just punched the older girl in the arm without thinking. Her emotions must have gotten the better of her and for once, she acted before thinking.

"Nothing, just wanted to see if you were really alive…", the girl said almost irritably and quickly turned away to walk in the other direction.

"Huh?", Yuzu started following her. "Is that any way to treat your knight in shining armour?", she asked in a half playful and half annoyed manner.

Mei continued to walk away, moving swiftly in an effort to avoid the older girl.

Yuzu didn't know how to react nor what to say, ' _Seriously, what's wrong?'_ , she thought in frustration. "Why are you angry? You know, I should be the one who's angry… You shouldn't have tried to protect me. Even from that distance, I still would've been able to dodge that bullet".

Of course, her question was left unanswered and by the time she caught up with the raven haired girl they were back in Yuzu's old room. Only when Yuzu grabbed the other girl by the hand did she notice the tears in the corner of Mei's eyes.

' _Oh.',_ her inner turmoil was answered by the tearful yet sharp look Mei gave her.

"Why? What's wrong with trying to protect you?!", Mei tried to say in a calm tone but ultimately failed as evidenced by the slight tremor in her voice. The girl could no longer hold in her anger, "Why am I not allowed to? Didn't you also try to protect me by by giving me the gas mask? By _sacrificing_ yourself?! You... you _**moron, stupid, idiotic, jerk**_ **-!** ", she punched the blonde with each insult, her voice breaking at the last word. "Don't just make decisions on your own! Let me protect you too…", she started sobbing. "You fool… what- what would I do if I lost you…?", she finally buried her face into the other girl's neck, her voice barely above a whisper. Without another word Mei was wrapped in an embrace by the older girl, which she gladly accepted with a sigh.

Yuzu hadn't considered Mei's feelings. How hopeless she must have felt when she thought that she'd just watch her die. Of course Mei would jump at the opportunity to save her, even if it meant jumping in front of a bullet. "I'm sorry, Mei…. I'm so sorry", she continued to apologize to the quivering girl until she settled down.

"You know, usually I'd only use my martial arts for my own or others' protection but earlier, when he shot you… I wanted to _hurt_ him. I've never felt so enraged before, to the point that I actually wanted to inflict as much pain as I could on someone else. To be honest, it was a bit terrifying. I didn't know I was capable of feeling such… _hatred_ ", Yuzu confessed and continued to hold her.

After a short pause Mei spoke, "...Me too. I felt the same way when I thought I'd lost you, only I _couldn't_ do anything. I couldn't help you, I couldn't _hurt_ the person responsible for killing you!"

"But he didn't kill me", the blonde broke their hug to place the younger girl's hand on her own chest. Mei looked up, confused at the action until she saw Yuzu's small, reassuring smile. She then concentrated on her hand and the quick beating of the other girl's heart.

"See? I'm still alive. I'm right here and I'm not going anywhere", she assured before wiping any remnants of tears off her girlfriend's face. She let out a small chuckle, "I guess, in the end, _you_ were my knight in shining armour"

Mei rolled her eyes at the cheesiness and irony of her statement but smiled at the comment anyway before leaning in first and pressing her lips against her girlfriend's. Yuzu made sure to be as gentle as possible due to Mei's split lip. The kiss was short but was enough to convey all of the emotions they felt.

After Yuzu broke their kiss she urged Mei to follow her, "Come on, let's go home. I'm _dying_ to get some rest after the last 48 hours…"

Mei frowned at the expression and elbowed the blonde's side. She let out a loud yelp. For some reason that blow to the side hurt more than she expected it to. "Yeah, I deserved that", she said in a strained voice as she held onto her side.

* * *

 **A few days later**

After sleeping for almost 32 hours Yuzu finally woke up from her much needed slumber. She was surprised to see Mei's dad casually talking to his daughter in the living room. She decided not to bother them and let them catch up so she sneaked into the kitchen to eat 'breakfast' at 3 o'clock in the day.

"Oh! So you're finally awake?", a woman's voice asked behind the refrigerator door, alerting the father-daughter duo in the living room of her presence.

Yuzu closed the refrigerator to greet her mother, "Yeah… Is this all the food we have?".

Mrs Aihara nodded in reply and Yuzu's shoulders fell in disappointment before she turned to walk to the living room, "So when did you arrive, dad?", she asked with a full mouth as she sat down across from him with some leftovers.

The middle aged woman decided to answer her since she was the only one who managed to decipher what she said, "Shou arrived last night. In fact, when he arrived he was crying so loudly he woke up Mei", Mrs Aihara grinned. "I thought you knew?"

Yuzu arched an eyebrow in confusion but continued to chew, remaining silent. She turned to look at the man across from her.

"You must've still been half asleep at the time. You were on your way to the bathroom", he chuckled lightly.

The blonde still looked confused as she could not remember their supposed encounter but shrugged it off and took another bite of the leftovers, not realizing that she just finished an entire container of food in less than a minute. "Mom~ is there any more food?", she whined as she held out the food container as if asking her for seconds. Mei couldn't help but smile at her girlfriend's combined grogginess with her childishness.

Mrs Aihara sighed, "You know, ever since you started training again most of our expenses are spent on feeding you...". Nonetheless, she got up and made her way towards the kitchen with Mei following right behind her, leaving behind Yuzu and her step father.

There was a brief silence between them before Shou spoke up, "...Yuzu, I wanted to say thank you…"

"Oh, you don't have to thank me! We're family-"

"I don't just mean for saving her", he interjected. "When I came back and when we were talking I realized how much Mei has changed over the course of only a few months. I'm not exactly sure but I feel like it has something to do with you…", he trailed off. "Anyway, I just wanted to thank you, truly, from the bottom of my heart"

Yuzu was taken aback at first but smiled brightly at the sentiment, "Sure, no problem!".

A few minutes later a savoury aroma started to emit from the kitchen. The blonde's mouth watered at the smell and she eagerly got up to sit at the dining table to wait for her food. As she waited she decided to read the newspaper. Over the past few months Yuzu has gotten used to seeing herself in the newspaper so it wasn't that surprising to see the kidnapping of Mei as the front page story. Apparently, during her hibernation, the incident was released to the media. The headlines and articles all praising her for having rescued Mei, putting a stop to the distribution of a new weapon and for arresting the man responsible in less than 48 hours.

"Ta-da! Mei suggested we make your favourite; Curry!", Mrs Aihara placed the pot on the table. "I made sure to make it extra spicy", she added with a smile.

Yuzu's stomach growled in reply and she thanked them before hurriedly scooping some curry onto her plate.

"By the way Yuzu, your grandmother sent you some papers. She said that you should take a look at it once you wake up", Mei handed her a thick gusset envelope.

The girl groaned as she accepted the envelope, ' _I knew I'd get buried in work as soon as this went public'._ She continued to eat before Mrs Aihara hesitantly spoke up, "Say, would it be alright if Shou and I went out tonight?", she asked timidly. "I mean, it _has_ been a while since we've had some alone time together", a slight blush graced her cheeks.

Yuzu and Mei looked at each other before turning to their mother with a smile, "Of course, mom! You deserve a break from all this too…", the blonde spoke genuinely.

Mei nodded in agreement, "You needn't worry about us all the time… you should go"

Mrs Aihara grinned happily before pulling both girls into a hug, "Thank you… I love you both"

* * *

 **A few hours later**

Yuzu sifted through the papers impatiently. She really wanted to finish her work before going to bed. She glanced in her girlfriend's direction. Mei also seemed to be busy with student council work. Their parents had left about an hour ago for their date, leaving both girls on their own for the night.

Come to think of it, it had been a while since they've been alone together. Yuzu usually did her work in the Hayato mansion or at school in the library. The reason why she didn't do her work at home was because she'd usually try to do her work in between appointments and meetings with Mrs Hayato's business partners, meaning she'd be dead exhausted by the time she got home.

Yuzu sighed as she put the papers down. She looked in Mei's direction again, this time blushing as heated scenarios flashed through her mind. Was it wrong for her to expect something to happen?

"Yuzu", Mei suddenly spoke, breaking the silence in the room. "Could you stop staring at me?", she demanded, her eyes still fixed on the papers on the desk. The younger girl brushes a strand of hair behind her ears, revealing her ears tinged with redness, "It's… distracting", she added more timidly this time.

"Oh. Yeah, s-sorry", she swiftly tore her eyes away from the other girl.

The room's atmosphere became awkward all of a sudden. Both girls embarrassed for thinking the same thing, only this time neither knew how to initiate the first move. After all that's happened, their fight, the kidnapping and the near-death experiences, it would be safe to say that both girls wanted and needed some… _physical_ comfort from each other.

"Erm- It's getting late, I'll go take a bath…", Yuzu awkwardly said while hurriedly grabbing clothes from her wardrobe before escaping into the bathroom.

Mei was left in the room, still trying to work on papers she could no longer concentrate on. She started tapping her pen against the desk and glanced at the door before looking back down at her work. Another glance at the door and before she knew it she was in front of the bathroom door.

 **...**

Yuzu sighed as she got into the shower. The warm water felt nice against her skin after so long. It didn't take long before her mind started wandering, ' _Should I have made a move?'._ Her thoughts were cut off by the sound of the door opening. Yuzu could hear the quiet footsteps approaching her even through the water showering over her. Her entire body tensed up as the shower door slowly slid to the side.

Mei wordlessly entered the shower, Yuzu's back still facing her. Slowly, she circled her arms around the older girl's waist. Yuzu couldn't stop herself from moaning when Mei started kissing the nape of her neck. The blonde finally turned around to face her. No words were needed to convey what she wanted. Her half lidded eyes said it all.

Mei acted accordingly, pushing her against the wall and attacking her with rough, passionate kisses while gently gliding her hands along each curve of the older girl's body. Yuzu had to break off the kiss in order to regain her breath. Mei took this as a chance to move down to her abdomen, favouring her girlfriend's taut abs. As she stared at the blonde's body with desire she felt a small tinge of guilt after seeing the bruise on Yuzu's side. Of course, she wasn't the one who actually caused it but she may have delayed the healing process by that jab she gave her a few days ago. ' _I'll definitely make it up to her'_

The younger girl was filled with determination and confidence to please her girlfriend. She took her time in sucking the skin on her waistline which evoked a few twitches and spasms from her. She then slowly ran her tongue down the middle of her stomach before stopping just slightly below her navel. Yuzu whimpered in disappointment.

"You're quite sensitive today", Mei pointed out with a small smirk.

Yuzu flushed at the comment, "That's 'cause… it's been a while since…", she trailed off. "Please stop teasing me", the blonde said in frustration.

Suddenly the younger girl pressed her lips against hers, this time more delicately. She moaned into their kiss and squeezed her eyes tightly when she felt Mei's hands kneading and pulling on her chest. A cry escaped the blonde's lips when she felt Mei's tongue circling and sucking on her firm nipples.

The dark haired girl made sure not to be too rough, almost touching her with reverence in fear of causing Yuzu any pain. The older girl had already noticed that Mei was avoiding almost her entire right side.

"Mei", Yuzu pushed the girl away to look at her, "It doesn't hurt. You can do whatever you want", she assured.

"But-", Mei was about to protest.

The older girl suddenly grabbed her hand and looked at her with pleading eyes, "I _want_ you to touch me, _everywhere_ ". Yuzu placed Mei's hand where she wanted it the most. Both girls blushed furiously at the action. "...Take the hint already", she pleaded with a husky voice.

Mei, feeling rather parched all of a sudden, had to swallow to dampen her dry throat. Without warning she leaned into the older girl. They were close enough to feel each other's breaths, emerald eyes locked onto hungry, violet ones. "I won't stop even if you ask me to…", Mei warned as her hands got busy.

Yuzu replied with a satisfied groan as the other girl hungrily bit her breasts. She jerked her hips forward as her girlfriend finally began to rub her slick slit. At first she slowly massaged Yuzu's bundle of nerves before gradually adding pressure. Mei kept her eyes locked onto the blonde's face, watching each reaction and expression to determine where and how to touch her.

With each moan, Yuzu neared her climax. She could feel the difference in each stroke, they were getting longer and harder. She whimpered when the contact suddenly disappeared and peaked at the other girl through half lidded eyes.

"Not yet", Mei simply said, her hands travelling past the girl's hip and reaching her backside. She cupped and kneaded them first, the volume of Yuzu's breathing increasing.

" _Mei_ ", Yuzu begged in a small voice, her hand gripping the other girl's wrist desperately. Even though Mei always seemed so authoritative, it was Yuzu who was (unexpectedly) more assertive in bed. However, it wasn't that surprising that the younger would want to take the lead every now and again. Still, it was quite frustrating, she _was_ the older one of the two after all. ' _Once in a while is fine, I guess',_ Yuzu thought, feeling content.

Mei gave her lover a triumphant smirk and trailed one of her hands back down to her most sensitive spot while the other hand continued to fondle her soft mounds. Yuzu's whole body quivered and she shuddered at the touch. She almost lost strength in her legs when she suddenly felt two fingers slip into her with ease.

The dark haired girl moved her fingers skillfully, curling them backwards while also rubbing her clit with her thumb. Yuzu tilted her head backwards, she was so close.

"Don't stop!", she demanded, suddenly pulling the other girl tightly against her.

Mei didn't dare stop. She continued to rapidly pump her fingers into her until the older girl finally reached her orgasm. If it wasn't for Mei, Yuzu would have collapsed on the floor. She almost lost all her strength in her knees and was leaning against the younger while she was in a state of bliss. Mei waited patiently, supporting her girlfriend's weight until she came down from cloud nine.

After a few minutes, the weight disappeared from her shoulder and Yuzu had recovered from her climax. She pressed her lips against the younger girl's as a way to express her gratitude. While Mei was engrossed in their kiss Yuzu pulled the raven haired girl into the bathtub excitedly, eager to return the favour. Mei was confused at the older girl's enthusiasm, still oblivious to her intentions.

The blonde sat down in the bathtub and gestured for Mei to sit in between her legs so that her back was facing her. Yuzu started tracing kisses from her girlfriend's neck to her shoulder, her hands were draped over her shoulders, caressing her all over.

The steam in the bathroom made the atmosphere stuffy, almost claustrophobic. This accentuated the girls' huffing and gasping for air. For Mei especially, due to their position she could only hear the other girl's heavy breathing, making it harder and harder for her to stay focused.

Mei immediately realized what was happening. Yuzu was taking control again!

"Spread your legs", Yuzu said in a commanding and smug tone.

Mei was reluctant but ultimately gave in as she too was eager to have the growing heat in between her legs satisfied. "Mmn…", she groaned as Yuzu positioned her hand on the younger girl's crotch. She wasted no time in sliding in two fingers.

"Even inside the bath, I can tell how slick you are down there", the blonde whispered in a husky voice.

Mei's ears darkened from a tint of pink to red. Yuzu smirked as she felt her walls tighten around her fingers. She started increasing her pace before suddenly grabbing the showerhead. A loud cry escaped her lips when Yuzu, without warning, turned the water on and directed the splashing stream at the younger girl's sex.

Her body shook violently at the contact. She couldn't stop herself from writhing in pleasure.

"Yuzu… too- i-intense", the older girl barely managed to understand her. Nonetheless, she kept going anyway.

A burning feeling of ecstasy travelled and spread throughout her whole body. "Did you hear that?", just as she was about to come, Yuzu stopped in her actions and turned the water off. "I think they're home", without knowing it, Mei's insides grew hotter and started throbbing more rapidly.

"Hwah~ Mmnn!", Yuzu suddenly turned the water back on and started moving her fingers faster.

Mei gripped the older girl's wrist in order to make her stop, but this only encouraged Yuzu to go on.

"Not so loud, or they'll hear us!", giving up on trying to stop the blonde, Mei concentrated on keeping her voice low instead.

While she tried to cover her mouth and keep herself from moaning, Yuzu curled her fingers up, hitting Mei's g-spot.

"Mmph- Ahhnn~!", Mei could no longer hold her voice in. Sparks of electricity were accompanied by waves of pleasure within a second. Yuzu turned the shower head off as the other girl's body spasmed. It took her a few minutes to recover due to the intensity of her orgasm. "Yuzu. There's no one there, is there?"

The blonde twitched at the tone of voice Mei used, "N-no…", she answered nervously. "But it was more exciting that way, right?"

The glare Mei gave her made Yuzu brace herself. She squeezed her eyes shut, expecting another elbow or hit. When she realized there were no violent intentions she opened her eyes again to see that the younger girl had turned around and curled up into a ball.

"It… it wasn't bad…", her words were slightly muffled but still intelligible to the other girl's ears.

Yuzu immediately lit up. She felt her chest warm up and butterflies fluttering in her stomach. ' _She's too cute!'_ , the blonde thought and buried her face into the back of Mei's head, inhaling deeply and smelling remnants of lavender. "I missed you…", she said simply.

"I missed you too", the raven haired girl didn't move but replied nonetheless.

* * *

 **(Haha there's no way I'd kill off Yuzu) Anyways, sorry for the delay. I rewrote the lemon to add Yuzu topping Mei in celebration of chapter 32 cuz YUZUTOP IS CANON! (or at least I hope so. PLEASE MAKE IT HAPPEN SABU-SENSEI) o(≧ε≦ｏ)**


	19. Epilogue

**Alright so here's the final chapter! (To be honest, I finished this months ago but was so unhappy with it that I didn't want to post the chapter :P)**

* * *

A few weeks after the whole 'being kidnapped, almost losing your significant other and dying' thing, Yuzu and Mei went back to school. They had missed a few lessons and tests but, given the circumstances, it was understandable and they were both allowed to retake the exams. Both girls went back to their normal routine. In school, Yuzu went back to the martial arts club while Mei worked diligently as the student council president. Outside of school however, media was buzzing with excitement. The future of the Hayato family looked very bright as the heir demonstrated courage and took initiative in rescuing the daughter of a prestigious family.

"Alright, so when you're grabbed from behind, chances are that your attacker has their arms around your torso. If that happens, pull yourself in and swing your hips to one side. Turn slightly and strike them in the groin until they let you go", Yuzu motioned with a fist. "Then, pivot towards them and lock your arms around their neck. Knee them in the groin and when they fall to the floor you can make your getaway"

She looked over to the student council president, "Okay, now you try. Repeat what I just said and demonstrated"

 _ **Flashback**_

" _Come on, Mei. It won't hurt to at least know the basics", Yuzu pleaded with a light tone. She'd been trying to convince the other girl to learn some self defence after the kidnapping incident._

 _The younger girl took off her glasses and turned away from her work to look at her girlfriend, "Yuzu, I think you are just being paranoid. Besides, after all that time away I need to-"_

" _Catch up on student council work. I know", Yuzu deadpanned before sighing. "Mei, won't you at least think about it?"_

 _As a member of a wealthy family, it wasn't uncommon for her to hear about girls getting kidnapped for ransom. She just hadn't expected it to happen to her. Mei was still reluctant however. Of course, it would make sense to at least be prepared in case it happened again. She also knew that Yuzu can't protect her forever and after that event she definitely did not want to act as a 'damsel in distress'. Still, for some reason she was still stubbornly refusing Yuzu's offer to teach her some self defence._

 _Yuzu sensed Mei's discomfort and put a gentle hand on the other girl's shoulder. "Mei, tell me what this is really about", she pleaded softly._

 _Mei looked away and hesitated before answering, "I'm… scared". Seeing the blonde's confused yet worried face urged her to continue, "It's not fighting that I'm scared of, it's… the possibility of having to actually defend myself"._

 _Although Mei struggled to express herself, Yuzu had learned to read in between the lines, especially since Mei used to be very reserved with her own feelings and thoughts. Of course, there has been an obvious improvement in Mei's behaviour since she tries to be more open to her feelings by showing Yuzu more affection._

 _The real reason was that she did not want to think about the possibility of having to experience something as traumatic as being kidnapped again. Learning self defense was a precaution, yes, but it made her feel like there was going to be a 'next time'._

" _Mei, I understand that what you went through has probably left some scars", Yuzu eyed the graze on her girlfriend's arm, but the hard expression on her face made it obvious that she wasn't just talking about physical scars. "And I'm sorry that I wasn't able to protect you all the way to the end…"_

 _Yuzu may have become stronger physically and more mature over the months but she was still a teenager. 'Even though she acted all confident and stoic, she was probably terrified too. It was most likely her first time experiencing a situation like that and it probably won't be the last', Mei thought. 'Putting up a strong front… sounds familiar', the younger girl almost laughed bitterly._

 _The blonde grabbed hold of Mei's hands, snapping her out of her thoughts, "but teaching you self defense is kind of my way of making up for not protecting you properly in the first place. Please, won't you at least think about it?"_

How could she say no after that?

Now, they were currently in the martial arts dojo. Since the dojo was often used for practice after school, it was only available to them early in the morning. Yuzu wore her usual karate gi while Mei wore her tracksuit. School would start in around an hour and Yuzu knew from her short time in the martial arts club that some diligent members would try to squeeze in some extra practice so early in the morning. She knew that a few members would be arriving in about 5 minutes so she wanted to wrap this up.

The girl took her stance and mimicked the moves Yuzu had just shown her. After she finished Yuzu gave her some extra pointers. "If your attacker grabs you from behind but lifts you", the blonde stifled a yawn before continuing, "you can still attack them using your legs, by kicking them in between the legs repeatedly until they drop you"

Mei's eyes softened. She knew Yuzu was tired, maybe even more than her, since she had to settle a few things as 'Hayato Yuzu'. She arrived late last night after an interview from all the way in Tokyo. Still, she made an effort to get up early to teach her this. The only thing she could do now was try her best, if not for herself then for her girlfriend.

Next, Yuzu moved on to teaching self defence if her attacker had a weapon. A few of the members had already started arriving, some of them were whispering amongst themselves as they watched the step sisters. After the news of the kidnapping had spread, there was a huge commotion between the students of Aihara academy. Who would have thought that the majority of the school would start to see them as a 'forbidden love power couple'? Of course they were, in fact, dating but there was no way they would be able to admit that, especially since all eyes were on them now. As a result of these so called 'shippers', love letters and confessions ceased for both Yuzu and Mei and students would now watch any interactions between the blonde and the student council president very tentatively.

"Alright, I think that's enough for today", Yuzu nodded in satisfaction. She was happy at Mei's cooperation and it was obvious that she was trying her best too.

* * *

 **A few weeks later**

Yuzu burst into the student council room, startling the members inside.

A short girl with curly hair started shouting, "Aihara Yuzu, what are you doing in here! And what are you wearing?!"

"Shhh!", the blonde hurriedly shushed her as she ducked under the door.

Suddenly a stampede of girls ran past the room. Shouts of 'Where did she go?' was heard before they ran off in a different direction.

Yuzu sighed in relief as she got up, dusting herself off. Mei stared at her stepsister with confusion and mild irritation as the blonde had interrupted their work.

The delinquent noticed the student council president's glare and she timidly scratched the back of her head in embarrassment, "Sorry 'bout that Mei".

"Nevermind", the raven haired girl sighed. "But why _are_ you dressed like that?"

Yuzu looked down at her attire. She was wearing what appeared to be a prince costume.

"Oh, haha this? Well…", the blonde looked back on the events that lead up to this moment.

 _ **Flashback**_

" _Alright, everyone! We'll be doing a play for the cultural festival so decide amongst yourselves who will be playing the characters!", the teacher announced before walking out of the classroom._

 _The whole class squealed in excitement._

" _We should do a romantic play!", someone suggested._

" _Then, I'll make the costumes!", someone else volunteered._

" _Wait, what kind of romantic play?"_

" _Hmm what about a classic fairytale story? With a prince and princess!"_

" _Great idea! I'll write the script!"_

" _Now, who will be playing the princess?"_

 _After a few days of fighting over who got to be the princess they finally decided to cast a girl from the drama club as the lead. A girl had prepared a script while another had already made measurements and such for the costumes._

" _But who will play the prince?", one of the girls asked._

" _Are you dense?!", someone snapped at the girl. Suddenly the whole class simultaneously looked over in the blonde's direction who was looking out the window and dozing off. She'd been more tired since she'd been waking up earlier to teach Mei in the mornings but the training seemed to be paying off so she didn't really mind. She yawned again before she noticed her classmates slowly inching towards her, their eyes glinting with mischief._

 _After they forced Yuzu to put on the prince's costume the decision was made._

" _Kyaa~ Aihara-san you look so handsome! It totally suits you!", the girls surrounded the blonde._

 _Yuzu sweat dropped comically, "Uhh thanks..?"_

" _Wow, she even has the physique of a prince"_

 _Suddenly, Harumi spoke up, "Probably 'cause her chest is so_ _ **flat,**_ _it makes her look like a boy…"_

 _The whole class went quiet, no one could object to that statement. Yuzu's eyes widened and she glared at the brunette before covering her chest defensively, "That's so mean Harumin~!". The blonde began hitting Harumi playfully while the brunette laughed._

" _That kinda makes me wonder", another girl spoke up while the two former delinquents were play fighting, "How would Yuzu-san look like in a different costume?"_

" _Yes I was wondering the same thing! Like maybe in a haori… or a samurai kimono!"_

 _The whole class turned to Yuzu menacingly, interrupting the friends' banter, an evil smile plastered on everyone's face, "Aihara-san, why don't you try these on?"_

 _Yuzu was sweating now and she turned to run out of the classroom._

" _Ah! Don't let her get away!"_

 _And so the whole class, save for a certain brunette, started running after the blonde prince._

* * *

"So that's the story..", Yuzu finished.

"I see", the raven haired girl said. She had known that their class would be performing a play but she couldn't have guessed that Yuzu would play one of the lead roles. She looked at Yuzu's attire once more. A side cape stretched down to her knee-high boots and on her waist she wore a belt which held a fake sword. Yuzu's hair was tied up in a braid which hung down one shoulder. If Mei was being honest she really _did_ look like a prince, not that she would ever admit that though.

"Well, that's not our problem, so get out! You're interrupting our work, right Meimei?", Himeko turned to the president.

"Ehh, can't you just let me stay in here for a little while? I won't be a bother, I promise!", Yuzu smacked her hands together and slightly bowed her head.

After a brief pause Mei sighed, "I don't mind, as long as you stay quiet and don't interrupt us anymore"

"Thanks Mei!", Yuzu said happily as she sat down on a chair by the window. She pulled some folded up paper from her pocket and started reading it intently.

After a few minutes of silence, Mei actually thought that the blonde was had left. She was surprised to still see Yuzu sitting in the same place, focusing on the pages in her hands. She was about to call out to the older girl but was interrupted before she could do so.

"Aihara Yuzu-san, may I ask what you are reading?", a bespectacled girl approached the blonde.

Yuzu looked up from the papers, "Oh, Glasses-senpai! I was just reading the script for the play. It looks like there's a kissing scene though…"

The raven haired girl perked up at that. ' _A kissing scene?'_

"Well, not that I mind since we're both girls anyway…", the blonde absently said.

Mei's hand twitched slightly at that and just as she was about to object the blonde's eyes widened as she stared out the window, "Call an ambulance! Quick!".

* * *

"...Since Aikuro-san fell down the stairs she won't be able to play the princess in our play anymore", the teacher explained. "Everyone has already been either cast as a character or has a certain job to do so could you maybe play the princess in Aikuro-san's stead?"

Mei thought briefly to herself as she put her hand on her chin to think, "Hmm there's a lot to do for the student council in preparation for the cultural festival…"

' _...there's a kissing scene though..'_

"But I suppose I can make time for the play as well…", Mei decided.

"As expected of the chairman's granddaughter! Thank you so much Aihara-san!", the teacher bowed in gratitude. He handed a few pages to the girl, "This is the script. Don't worry though, you'll learn the lines in no time!"

After the teacher left Mei began to flick through the pages when something suddenly caught her eye.

* * *

"Eh?! Mei will be playing the princess?!", Yuzu panicked. "B-but there's a **kissing** scene!". Of course, she was used to getting intimate with her girlfriend, but that was supposed to be in private and secret. She couldn't help but feel embarrassed at the thought of kissing Mei in front of the school.

"Yeah, so what? I thought you didn't mind kissing another girl anyway", Harumi nonchalantly said. "Besides shouldn't you be happy? She _is_ your girlfriend after all"

"Yeah but.. it's more embarrassing if it's with her…", Yuzu blushed at the thought of kissing the student council president in front of the whole school. Her eyes suddenly widened, "There's also a fight scene between the prince and the princess!"

"Fight scene?", Harumi looked through the script. "The prince and princess get into a physical fight in which the prince slyly teases the princess by leaving lingering touches here and there", she read out loud in a monotonous voice. "Fight to be choreographed by a member of the martial arts club", she finished.

"Which _obviously_ means me right?! I'll have to kiss and flirt with Mei in front of the whole school!", the blonde began to panic.

"Well, I'm not too surprised. The script was written by one of your fans", Harumi shrugged.

"I can't do it! What if I freak out?!"

Harumin sighed and put her hands on the blonde's shoulders, "Relax Yuzu. You just need to act cool, act like you always do when kissing and flirting with her and just ignore the audience. And if you _do_ freak out, just take a few deep breaths. Alright?"

"Alright! Yuzu clamped her fist shut in determination. ' _Just ignore the audience and act like you always do'_

* * *

 **The day of the performance**

"Ah~ the prince is so good looking"

Since the two lead roles had the same last name the school had given Yuzu and Mei the nicknames of the role they played.

"Yeah, who would have thought that Yuzu-san would be good at acting as well! If she didn't join the martial arts club she probably could have joined the drama club!", one of the girls stated while watching from backstage.

"The student council president is also quite good, though I've never seen her make these expressions before! It's almost like she's really in love with the prince", another girl added.

It was finally the day of the cultural festival. Although being cast as one of the leads gave her extra work, Mei didn't consider it a hindrance to any of her other duties. She was able to learn all her lines quickly too. On the other hand, Yuzu didn't know most of her lines and queues and even though her acting was impressive, it was obvious that she was still out of it. At the moment she was looking dazed and didn't seem to be paying much attention, making her look very aloof but not distracted.

"Yuzu-san, you're line!"

The blonde quickly snapped out of her thoughts. ' _Line! What's my line!'_ Despite her inner turmoil she tried to remain as calm as she could.

Suddenly, Mei wrapped her arms around her neck, bringing their faces closer. "Hmm... have I made you speechless my prince?", Mei asked, a sly smirk gracing her features.

"Huh? That's not in the script! They're supposed to start fighting each other and then make up with a passionate embrace!", their 'director' said anxiously from behind the stage.

' _She's improvising? And why is she smirking?'_ This irked the older girl in more ways than one. She had already forgotten her line so she might as well just make them up as well. ' _Just act like usual'_ Suddenly Yuzu moved closer, making the raven haired girl move backwards until her back was met with the wall. The blonde slammed one hand against the wall, right next to Mei's face. The younger girl was startled as she looked at Yuzu.

"Forgive me, for I was so captivated by your beauty that I could not hold back. Please do not hate me for having such unforgivable desires", the 'prince' said as she took the princess' hand and kissed it.

"Kya~~~!", uncontrollable squeals sounded from both the audience and backstage.

Mei was now blushing madly. She suddenly felt very conscious of the audience but the anxiety turned into anger when Yuzu shot her a smug look. The kind of look that said ' _I win'._ "Th-there's no way I could hate you, you baka-ouji!"

This made the crowd roar. "Tsundere! Tsundere is the best!", someone screamed out.

Yuzu chuckled at the younger girl's vexation, "So is it really alright? To kiss you, I mean"

Mei's hands were grasping at Yuzu's sleeves, "Just do it already-"

Just then the gap between them closed and their lips met in a passionate kiss. The whole audience cheered as the curtains closed.

"That was great! Even better than the original script!", their 'director' shouted.

"Haha..thanks..", Yuzu shyly scratched the back of her head.

"Now that our play's over, can we go enjoy the summer festival?", a girl asked in the background.

"Yes! Let's enjoy the last day of the summer school festival!", the 'director' shouted enthusiastically.

While everyone else ran off the two stepsisters were left behind on their own. Yuzu's heart was pounding, ' _Oh my_ _ **god**_ _. I think I got too carried away! She was_ _ **blushing**_ _!'._ Yuzu cleared her throat, "Thanks, Mei… for saving me back there"

"Well, you _did_ have a lot of lines to learn. On top of that, you've been getting less sleep since you wake up earlier to train me…"

' _Huh? Has she been worried?'_ "Well, I could say the same about you too. But you know, the only thing I need to get my energy back is this", Yuzu suddenly engulfed her in a big hug.

Mei was startled but reciprocated the hug nonetheless. After a minute Yuzu broke the hug. She sighed contently, "Alright, now I'm fully recharged!", she held out her hand to Mei, "Would you like to see the rest of the festival together?"

The younger girl merely smiled and took her girlfriend by the hand.

"By the way, seeing you getting all jealous kinda made me happy", Yuzu smugly said.

"Jealous? Who was jealous?", Mei said in her monotone voice, although her ears turned slightly red.

Yuzu grinned happily, "The others were right. Tsundere is the best".

* * *

 **I wasn't gonna post this but after seeing the raws for chapter 36 (don't worry I won't spoil) I died inside and thought I can just drown myself in fanfics ＼（＠；◇；＠）／**


End file.
